Collateral Damage
by Aliet Faslami
Summary: A late-night brainfreezie run goes bad as the little green guy we know and love is attacked by none other than Dib. This turns out to be a good thing. Zim finds out he's not alone. Final Chpt up...
1. GIR, a slush-o, and a migraine

Collateral Damage  
  
A/N#1: You know the drill, I don't own Zim or any other IZ characters that may pop up in here. I only own Jendai Kaalae and Merana Sali. They're mine. Steal them and I'll do doom things to you... There's gonna be some darkness and cussin in here. You have been warned.  
A/N#2: I dunno if anyone's heard of the movie with the SAME TITLE as this fic. I made this up BEFORE I heard of the stupid movie. So, none of "you stole this or that." Ugh, I talk to much. Here's the blasted story already.   
  
Chapter One:  
GIR, a slush-o, and a migraine  
  
The clock was ticking. Ticking away wasted seconds, minutes, hours, days and eventually years. Humankind was a slave to the time. Planning every waking minute around combinations of hours and minutes. Nothing else dominated life so. The sacred clock told humans when to sleep, to eat, to play, to go to skool or work... it practically told them how to live. They were slaves already; slaves to some blasted invention.  
Clocks would be one of the first things he would do away with once he conquered this filthy planet.  
Invader Zim boredly drummed his pencil against the desktop, as if the tapping would hasten the flow of time in his favor. There was nothing he could do, "brilliant" as he was, to dispose of time permanently. It mainly just disgusted him how devoted the humans were to the clock. Of course, his race had their own time-telling devices. They just weren't so pathetic about the whole thing. All other ideas to pass the time exhausted, he began plotting. Plans clicked into place and he mentally acted them out, smiling evilly as he watched. The worthy ones were filed away until he reached his lab to turn the simple beginnings into great plots that may even come close to working.   
Too soon his mind was stated with plans for the day, leaving Zim wondering what to do next. Skool was incredibly easy. The Invader knew everything already. He relaxed, sinking lower in his seat. As Ms. Bitters droned on and on about doom, he found himself slowly drifting off. Last night had been a late one down in the lab. GIR kept interrupting his work, which was nothing new. In fact, the incident occurred so often, Zim was beginning to question whether or not GIR truly was the advanced model he was said to be. He figured he had better not question the Tallest, but the issue kept coming up.   
Something hit him in the head. His eyes flicked open, glaring around the classroom. They came to rest on his nemesis. The vile, filthy human, Dib... The boy was whistling innocently and pretending to be listening intently to the teacher. Zim knew better. He glanced down, wanting to know what it was that had hit him. A paper airplane lay crumpled by his foot. He picked it up, gently unfolding the plane's damaged wings. Ever since arriving on this miserable rock called Earth, Zim had held a fondness for the delicate paper crafts. Dib's design of the small thing badly hindered its maneuverability and potential speed. The Irken glared. Another mess to clean up. At least this one wasn't as bad as GIR's... Oh well, he thought. He had nothing better to do at the moment. He unfolded the entire thing, smoothing out the obvious errors with deft passes of his gloved hands. But it was when the thing was finally completely unfolded, the true intent of the alluring craft was revealed.   
It was another insane sketch of Zim being experimented on by humans while Dib cackled in the background, cradling yet another strange invention.   
He ignored the pathetic drawing and went back to re-creating the paper plane.  
~ ~ ~   
"Mer, I've found another one."  
"...You're sure?"  
"Of course. Have I ever steered you wrong?"  
"Need I remind you about LA, Jendai?"  
"That was different, I'd just healed. You can't pin that one on me. It was the pain talking, not me."  
"Fine. Whatever you say. Where's this one, then? In a jar of peanut butter?"  
"Oh ha-ha. You want me to play around or the truth?"  
"Truth, Kaalae, truth."  
"Here."  
"Here as in... where?"  
"Here as in... this city."  
"You're sure?"  
"One-hundred percent sure. I've seen him wandering around. They're hard to miss, those green kids."  
"He stands out that bad?"  
"Worse."  
"Oh Gods... Okay, I'll believe you. Go see what you can find out about the poor wretch and bring him to me ASAP."  
"Aren't you coming?"  
"No, there's too much I need to do with the last one you brought me."  
"All right. Good luck Merana."  
"You too, Jendai."  
~ ~ ~   
"GIR! I'm home!" Zim stood beside the front door, ignoring the robo-parents and half-expecting the odd little robot to appear with some new problem or squirrel sighting. When it failed to appear, he could only assume it was down in his lab watching what the two of them had dubbed "the Scary Monkey Show." He never understood why GIR loved it. The only thing that ever moved on that show were the flies that buzzed around its half-dead star. Maybe GIR had gone to get a slush-o... That possibility was even more likely, Zim observed, moving into the center of the room. The vase of human money they had collected in the streets was lying on the couch, shiny coins spilled all over the pillows. They looked picked over. GIR MUST have gone to get one of those disgusting chocolate-bubblegum slush-os! It was practically addicted to the nauseating things.   
His robot-slave's disappearance was of no consequence. GIR would return shortly. It always did. Providing it still remembered the way back...   
Zim shrugged, making for the couch. Mentally, he willed the slender mechanical legs out of his back pod. They complied, pulling their owner up onto the couch before retreating back to the place where they came. It was only now that Zim removed part of his disguise. The wig slid easily off, falling into his hands only to be cast aside onto the pile of coins laying beside him. His thin, black antennae slowly uncurled from their cramped position against his head. They itched horribly. The alien obliged the pair with careful scratches up and down their frail-looking black lengths. He could have just sat there until dark, massaging the stiff appendages.   
But there was far too much work to do down in the lab. Somewhat reluctantly, he jumped off the couch, heading into the kitchen. Once there, he climbed on top of the toilet and flushed himself down to the lab.   
By midnight, GIR still had not returned. With a groan of annoyance, Zim donned his disguise once more and set out to find the wayward robot. "How much should I bet myself that it's out dancing with some huuuumans?" Zim wondered aloud. He hated walking around this planet at night; albeit the fact that it wasn't too far to the 24/7 convenience store where GIR bought its slush-os.   
In the dark, there was always a nagging feeling you were being watched by the something lurking in the shadows. His boots tapped noisily against the pavement. But now the noise was reassuring rather than the annoyance it usually was. Now, it was the only noise in the infinite darkness broken only by pools of flickering fluorescent lights. "It must be later than I thought," Zim muttered to calm himself. He was feeling jumpy. "It's better this way. Not so many stinky, smelly, stink people... things around. How long was I in the lab? Suppose it doesn't matter... I got a lot of work done though... maybe the lazer weasels will finally ripen..." Zim realized he'd been babbling.  
The tiny Invader took a deep breath, trying to remain calm enough to make it to the store. He could see the mini-mart up ahead, lights gleaming dully against the darkness. He sighed with relief. Already, he could feel the fear creeping up on him, ready to pull him down into a churning sea of panic and terror. The tapping of his boots was suddenly echoed. Zim froze. Then kicked into a run. The odd echo followed for a few feet, changing its pace to one opposite Zim's. He fought down panic as he fled the thing shadowing him. What could it be? he wondered fleetingly. Just as suddenly as it began, the echo stopped. He cringed, half-expecting the thing to leap on him and tear him to bits while he cowered without protection. But nothing happened. Nervous, Zim peered out from behind his hands. There was nothing there. Boldness overcame whatever confusion that surfaced as the Irken marched towards the island of light that was the store. "I shall defeat this planet yet!" he laughed.  
He marched into under the overhang where human vehicles pulled up to refuel. It stank, as usual. Zim was beginning to wonder whether or not any place on this sorry rock didn't reek horribly. A gas attendant took a break from fueling up a rusty pick-up truck to eye him with a strange look as the small, green figure paused for breath just outside the store's glass door. His stare angered Zim. "Look away at your precious fuel, filthy huuuman!" he snapped. "Do not foul Zim with your... disgusting..." He halted a moment, trying to figure out what the man was holding. "...fuel collecting... thing!" Proud of himself once more, he strutted through the door to locate GIR.  
The interior of the mini-mart smelled too. Only not just of gasoline, but of week-old coffee and human sweat. Zim felt like gagging, but only screwed up his large eyes in distaste. Didn't humans ever clean anything? "GIR had better be here..." he muttered threateningly before striding towards the back of the store where the slush-o machine was kept. There were only two humans in the store at this hour; the half-asleep cashier and a lanky male human dressed in a bland white shirt, ripped blue jeans and a long coat that fell to his knees. A newspaper hid his face. Zim gave him a longer glance than he gave most humans. Most humans stared or pointed at him, but this one didn't even acknowledge his presence in the store. With a shrug, the Invader ignored him, heading back to the slush-o machine. Before he could even see it, a frantic squeaking sound was heard coming from the large machine's direction. Full of foreboding, he rounded the corner created by a rack of chips and another rack of cookies, and stared.  
GIR was here all right. Here and thankfully still disguised as a dog. The dim-witted robot was jumping up and down in a futile attempt to reach the countertop where the machine sat. It uttered pitiful little squeaks every time it came down on the floor. It was a pathetic scene. For a moment, Zim just stared in disbelief. Wildly, he looked at the clock on the wall, then at GIR and back to the grimy clock. "I hesitate to ask," he began, striding forward. "but what are you doing, GIR?"  
It stopped jumping instantly at the sound of its master's voice. GIR might have been stupid, but it knew who its master was, and that it was to obey Zim at all times. Without even bothering to face Zim, it chirruped, "I can't reach my slush-o, Master... So I was jumping to see if I could get taller by jumping for it. I've been jumping for a long time, Master, but it isn't working..."   
"How long have you been jumping?"  
"Ummm... since... since the biggy handy thingy on the twelve and the smally handy thingy on the three!"  
"So," Zim folded his thin arms over his chest. "you've been jumping up and down for nine hours straight?"  
GIR cocked its head to the side. "I doooon't knooooow..." it replied simply. All other thoughts abandoned, it returned to jumping and squeaking.  
"Stop that at once GIR, and stand still!" The alien closed his eyes. GIR's squeaks were giving him a headache. "Now, if I get you a slush-o, will you keep absolutely silent for the rest of the night?"  
It took GIR a while to think this over. Zim tapped his foot against the ground, waiting impatiently. "Ummm..." it said, thinking aloud. "Can I still watch the Scary Monkey Show?"  
"Being silent does not mean you can't watch television, GIR." The robot opened its mouth to ask another question. "Nor does it mean," Zim cut it off. "you can't eat tuna and cupcakes, or play with bees or squirrels. It merely means you cannot make a single sound." He was getting exasperated with his robot.   
GIR stopped jumping once again. "Can I sing the Doom Song?"  
"No GIR!" Zim snapped, slapping his forehead. "You cannot sing the Doom Song while being silent! Now, do you want your slush-o or not?"  
"I doooooo..."   
With that matter somewhat settled, Zim climbed up on GIR's head. Their combined heights made it easy for the Irken to reach the cool machine and extract the frozen contents from the nozzle. It smelled awful. Looked awful too. A strange combination of brown and pink that made the chocolate-bubblegum flavor. Stifling both an imagined nausea and a real migraine, Zim handed the cup to his hyperactive robot. GIR began to jump again in its excitement, forgetting all about Zim's presence on its head. The Invader yelped, stomping on GIR's head to remind it he was still up there. GIR froze, allowing him to clamber down with as much dignity as he could muster. "I got chocolate bubblegum!" it squealed in joy.   
"Yes, yes you did," Zim muttered. GIR's voice was aggravating his headache. He wanted nothing more than to lounge in his lab-his peaceful, GIR free lab-and maybe fly some paper airplanes before he fell asleep. "Come GIR. We must pay for your slush-o. It's time to go home." He grabbed GIR's leash, pulling it along behind him.  
The lanky human was still there, reading his newspaper beside the coffee machine. He eyed the alien briefly before going back to the news stories about the latest crimes and movies that were to come out soon. "Aren't you out a little late?" he asked from behind the paper. His voice had a gentle, tenor ring to it, making it one of those voices stars and speakers always tried to achieve. It was those voices that you could listen to for hours, just listening to the pitches and tones rather than the actual words the person spoke. The cashier was already enthralled by it; in fact, she was practically drooling over the human. He took no notice of her, just kept on reading the paper.   
"No, I'm not," Zim snapped, glaring. When he got no answer, he strode up to the register to pay for the slush-o. "Here, store slave," he growled, throwing five quarters onto the counter. "I assume this is enough to pay for the item."  
"Mmm-hmm..." the cashier mumbled, still staring love-eyed at the human with the paper.   
Zim stared at the pair curiously before exiting the store. What was that all about? He shrugged it off. The night air was chilly, showing no similarity to the heat of the day. The two, robot and Irken, paused just outside of the store. Zim massaged his aching forehead; the lighting outside wasn't helping him any... then again, neither was GIR. The robot had ignored its promise to keep quiet and was singing the Doom song while sucking down the slush-o noisily. "Come ON, GIR." He tugged the leash impatiently. "Let us go home!"  
GIR slurped his slush-o in answer, but followed obediently. The cold soon began to set into the duo, sending almost violent shivers through the alien and the knowledge that it was cold out to the robot. Zim wrapped his arms around himself in an attempt to stay warm. He began to hurry along, although GIR lagged behind, intent on drinking his slush-o and was dead to the world. "Hurry GIR, it's freezing outside!" he commanded, giving the leash a hard tug.  
"Coming Master!" The happy chirping voice sent a stabbing pain through Zim's head. It only got worse as GIR droned on about nonsense. Soon it was enough to send him reeling in pain. Zim groaned, clutching his head.   
"GIR BE SILENT!" Zim screamed, finally losing all patience... or whatever he had had to begin with. "Can't you see I have a headache? Keep quiet as you promised!! I need peace!!!"  
The robot only nodded, mystified by Zim's rage, then returned to tamely sipping its slush-o.   
Lights from houses stared blankly out into the darkness, sending strange shadows reflecting all around. The shadows scurried away from the light, leaving to go on whatever business shadows had. After a while of walking beneath scattered pools of light and infinite reaches of darkness, the odd green house came into view, huddled away from its fellow houses. It was dark, unlike its bright neighbors. Zim finally began to relax. Soon he would be locked away within his lab, soothing his headache far away from GIR. Maybe he would begin his latest plan once the headache had passed. Or maybe he'd just finish the experiment he'd begun earlier this week. Better yet...  
Zim stopped dead in his tracks. GIR didn't notice and continued walking until the leash stopped him. He jerked to a stop, almost falling to the ground. Zim blinked, straining his eyes against the darkness. There was someone standing in the gateway to his house. It was far enough outside the perimeter to where the gnomes wouldn't sense it. Smart, on its part. Who-or what-could possibly be awake at this hour of the night? And why in the world would they be standing in his gateway? He pushed aside those thoughts for the moment. Attempting to show no fear, the tiny Invader marched towards the figure. "Don't come any closer, Zimmm!" a voice rang out. "I have you now!"  
The alien groaned inwardly. Dib... why did it have to be Dib? Why now of all times? "What do you want, human?" he emphasized the pronoun with distaste, trying to keep the weariness out of his voice.   
There was a subtle movement in the darkness. Without warning, GIR, who had been closest to the silhouette of Dib, went into wild convulsions, shrieking. Zim took an involuntary step back, unnerved. The robot suddenly went silent, falling into a limp heap on the pavement with a metallic clang. Strangest, and most frightening of all, the slush-o fell from GIR's hand, rolling to spill on Zim's grass. He watched it sink slowly into the greenery, scared finally. It was unlike GIR to drop any human food that was edible. Finally terrified, Zim did the only thing that seemed sensible.  
He fled back the way he came.  
GIR's lifeless body bounced along behind him as he ran. He could hear Dib running after him, never gaining, merely hounding. It was stressful enough just seeing the human at skool, but why did he have to terrorize him afterwards as well! Fortunately, he was an Invader, and Invaders had amazing stamina; they were of the Soldier class after all. If Zim had been of the Student class, there would be no way he could have done this with such ease and grace-  
He tripped over a rock. The impact sent him flying. Zim rolled, coming back up easily on his feet before breaking into another run. Dib had gained a few feet as a result of his fall. GIR was slowing him. He set his jaw, speeding up to increase the distance. The streetlights glimmered on, oblivious to the struggle going on beneath their fickle glow. The mini-mart flashed by, standing like a concrete sentinel. In the glow of its lights, he stole a quick glance behind him to see whether or not Dib was still after him. He was. In his hand was a long metal pole with a hand-like grasping utensil at the end. Electricity radiated from the grasping thing like heat off of summer blacktop. That had to be what had fried GIR's circuits! The Irken didn't want to find out what it would do to him.  
As if in response to his fear, his robotic legs emerged, propelling him forward at a faster rate than running could have provided. He just hoped Dib didn't have his camera ready. Any shots of him with the extra legs would be incriminating. To increase his pace even further, he tied GIR's leash around his waist, making sure the robot no longer dragged on the ground. There were no other humans around on this street at this hour, ensuring relative safety if he could escape Dib.   
The street became unfamiliar and strange as Zim fled further away from everything he'd come to know.  
~ ~ ~   
  
"Pick up the phone, Mer! Damn it; it's me! Pick up!"  
"...Hello?"  
"Finally! I've been calling for ten minutes!"  
"Jendai Kaalae! It's midnight! I was asleep."  
"You want what I got or not?"  
"Stop teasing me and spill the details."  
"I've found him! He was here about five minuets ago, then took off with a green dog. Just before you picked up, he ran by the store. Some human was chasing him!"  
"Shit, Jendai! What are you doing talking to me? Get your goddamn hide over there and get him before the human does! What are you waiting for?"  
"How am I supposed to do that? They had a head start!"  
"You took the pick-up Jendai! I dunno, maybe... DRIVE!?"  
"I hate cars, you know that. Stupid inventions. They're inefficient and slow."  
"Just go! I don't care how you do it, just do it!"  
"As you wish."  
The man hung up, heading for the beat up old pickup truck parked at the fill-up stationed. "Put it on my tab," he barked at the attendant. "Ask the lady at the register about it. Just hurry it up, I have somewhere to be!"  
The young man hurried to unhook the pump from the Toyota's rusty side. He glanced at the meter, wanting to tell his customer how much he would owe, but the lanky man was already clambering up into the driver side. The man slammed the door, looking for the ignition key; upon finding it he started the car and let it idle for a while. Even after fourteen years of driving the truck, it still took him a while to remember how to work it. Twenty years of driving other things had made them a higher priority in his brain. Finally, he recalled the proper ways of driving and put the pickup in gear. He gunned the engine to the best of its abilities and tore off in the direction his target had fled.   
He prayed to Merana's "Gods" that he'd get to the target before it was too late. The old engine of the pickup clanged and rattled horribly in the still night. There would be no sneaking up on the target now; the deaf could hear this truck coming from a mile away. Tenseness crept into the man, causing his driving to become worse than it already was. Such a thing was unacceptable. He needed to be calm to carry out a successful collection to the target. Frowning, he looked over at the radio. It was dark, being off at the moment. His long, slender fingers danced over the knobs, selecting the right station. It blared out in the hard rock humans loved and he preferred over the other forms of music. He turned up the volume, as he needed his eyes, not his ears to find the target. The song was by a group known as "Creed." What that meant, he had no idea. All the man knew was that it calmed him. Finally relaxing behind the wheel, he allowed himself to hum along with the song, which was called, "What If?"  
"I can't find the rhyme in all my reason.  
I've lost sense of time and all seasons.  
I feel I've been beaten down,  
by the words of men who have no grounds.  
I can't sleep beneath the trees of wisdom  
when your axe has cut the roots that feed them.  
Forked tongues in bitter mouths  
can drive a man to bleed from inside out."  
The target abruptly came into view. He turned the radio down, but not off. He needed the music to keep him calm. The man never slowed the truck. There would be no way the target would allow himself to be picked up the way the man preferred to do things. It would have to be done forcibly... He hated doing things that way. He just wasn't someone who could bend others to his will easily. That was why he was... no, not was anymore. Now it was "had been." Angry, he dropped the subject, turning his attention to the target.  
The boy chasing the target showed no signs of relenting, so the man pulled forward, keeping just ahead of them. He could watch the chase easily through his rearview mirror, waiting for the human boy to wear the target out before he made his move. All he had to do was keep the target in sight-  
the target abruptly whirled down Riverview Road, heading towards the bridge. The man cursed loudly, almost fishtailing the truck in an attempt to make the turn in time to keep up. "Why can't Mer just have done this?" he asked the radio.   
His only response was the changing of songs. He set his jaw and continued on to finish his mission.  
~ ~ ~   
  
Zim was getting tired. Not physically, seeing as he wasn't the one actually running, but mentally. It took constant thought for him to keep on moving the robotic legs along. Their increased pace made it even more difficult. It just wasn't a natural way to run. Normally, one just used their natural legs-or, in the case of the Almighty Tallest, hovered around rather than be lowered to the same mode of transportation as those shorter than you. If Dib didn't eventually give up, which was unlikely, Zim feared he would eventually collapse, asleep in the middle of the sidewalk. And on top of all this, GIR was growing heavier by the minute. He swerved around a corner, trying to throw Dib off his tail.   
The street he'd turned down was totally unfamiliar. Zim hadn't learned his way completely around this city yet. It was unsettling. Even more unfortunate was the fact that there was far more traffic moving up and down the road. A sinking feeling filled him as his robotic legs slipped back into his back pod with their usual silent grace. Now he was on his own power.   
His boots rose and fell in a quick, terrified drumbeat that matched the racing of his pulse. He almost forgot to breathe as the need to flee took over everything. Traffic increased as he ran on. I must be near a highway of some kind...he thought. Why did I even leave the lab today? Those thoughts, those single, drifting thoughts were enough to bring his headache back from obscurity. Pain laced through his head as he froze, staggering and grabbing his head in an attempt to stop the agony. It throbbed mercilessly. Something crashed into his back, sending the tiny alien flying down to the hard concrete ground. The rock-hard stuff scraped through the palms of his gloves, cutting into his hands. With a small moan, he sat up slightly, only to stare at the form of his enemy, glowering down at him. "Hello Zim," the human said quietly. The Invader attempted to rise, only to be stopped by the metal pole swinging down within an inch of his face. "Don't even try it."  
"What is that?" Zim reached up to touch the object, momentarily forgetting his fear. Curiosity, it seemed, was strong in Irkens as well. He grabbed the tip, intending to push it away. Almost instantly he yanked his hand back, fighting the urge to cry out with both pain and surprise. He looked carefully at the injured hand. Burns had appeared on the already torn, green skin of his palm. It hurt. Somewhat bewildered, he tried to keep up his aloof and confident appearance. "Some pathetic human weapon?" he sneered.  
"Oh, this?" Dib did not move the thing away from Zim's face. "It's just a little something I borrowed from the guards at my dad's show. A tazer I believe it's called."  
"What to you propose to do with this... tazer thing?" Zim asked warily. He tensed his muscles in case an opportunity to escape presented itself. It was doubtful.   
The human had to consider his question for a moment. He tapped his chin, acting as if he were in deep thought. "How about... shock you into unconsciousness, then drag your body off to..." Dib paused for breath. His last sentence had been rapid. "to show the world I was right about you, Zim!" Zim desperately wanted to smack that look of triumph from his nemesis's face. The pole never moved away; in fact, it seemed to be moving closer. "I hope you like scientists, Zim," Dib said, an evil smile sliding over his ugly face. "You'll be seeing a lot of them in a moment."  
"Pretty words, human," Zim sneered again. A devilish look appeared on his face, defying Dib to the end. "I see you've finally gotten the guts to face me." Dib growled. Anger at Zim for showing no fear filled him. Enraged, he pulled the trigger on the end he held.   
It was more a jolt of heat than electricity that hit Zim full in the face. This time, he did cry out, writhing on the hard ground. GIR's body banged against the cement as its master twisted in agony, fighting to remain conscious. Faintly, Zim heard Dib laughing hysterically at him. It was worse than the water balloons, worse than the other various things the human had tried to use against him. The most he could do was not give the human the satisfaction of his fear. If he survived this, never again would he cringe away from Dib's challenges... IF he survived... The agonizing rod seared across his flesh, burning into his flesh. The smell of burning meat filled the air.   
A horn blast sounded, closer and louder than the others on the street. Startled, Dib jumped away, taking the rod with him. Zim felt his agony suddenly cease. He staggered to his feet, then ran, dragging GIR with him. His feet no longer rose and fell in the same, easy rhythm. They staggered, occasionally tripping over each other. Zim couldn't see. It was like a dream. One of those awful dreams where you ran and ran, not able to see, and no matter how far you thought you ran, your nightmare was always right behind you. You could hear it, feel it, but could never see it until it pounced, dragging you down and you woke up screaming in terror. Zim had had such dreams. He wanted to wake up. Wake up and be safely tucked away in his lab. The sounds of screeching breaks told him he was in the road. Blinded by pain and fear, he ran in the opposite direction from the sounds of cars. He blinked the blood from his eyes-why was there blood in his eyes? Was he really injured that badly?-only to see a large, rusted vehicle speed by. Zim yelped, leaping back out of the way. As he landed, his foot hit a pebble, sending him sprawling backwards into nothingness.  
~ ~ ~  
  
The man sped past his target, only to watch it go sprawling off the bridge. He cursed, pulling over abruptly. Another car honked loudly at him, its driver cursing him. He paid it no attention. Mer would kill him, literally, if the target was collected dead. He had never killed the target before... never killed anything, come to think of it. The only thing he'd been doing was trying to make sure the human hadn't injured it too terribly... and had almost run it over. "Damn!" he cursed again and again, climbing out of the cab. Making his way to the bridge's guardrail, he checked for the human boy who had left. He had. That was an unexpected gift. The man leaned over the rail, scanning the dark water below. His scan showed some foam from the target's splash, but nothing else. The man began to fret. Was the target drowned? Finally, there was a thrashing sound in the water. He dashed back to the truck, opened the glove compartment and rummaged through it. Selecting a flashlight, a net, and a length of coiled rope, he returned to the rail. He hated using the rope-net combination, albeit the fact that it was merely a net attached to a nylon rope. "My, aren't we high-tech?" he grumbled, attaching the net to the rope.   
His long fingers switched on the flashlight and shone the powerful beam down into the darkness. It illuminated a single, struggling form in the cold, unforgiving water. The man tossed the rope out a few yards ahead of the suddenly still target, hoping the current would carry one to the other. His hopes were answered as the drifting body was carried safely into the net. He heaved the rope upwards, pulling the target to him. Careful not to let the body hit the bridge, he held the rope out at arm's length for the last ten feet.   
The thing he finally collected looked more like a drowned rat than what he knew it was. Closer examination showed it to still be breathing, however faintly. The green dog was limp, tied around the target's waist with its leash. What troubled him was the long, bloodied burn on the left side of the target's face. That and the fact water had no effect on it. He frowned, laying the body on the ground briefly while he coiled the rope for storage. The expression never lifted as he put the equipment away and lay the limp body on the passenger seat. He carefully untied the dog from the target, laying that on the floor. Next, he slid a finger around what appeared to be the target's hairline. The wig slid off, falling down to the floor in a wet heap and revealing two, straight antennae emerging from the top of the target's head. So he had been right, after all. He covered the target with a towel before sliding into the driver's seat. With a sigh, he started up the truck and began the long drive to Merana's house.  
He just hoped both he and the target survived the trip there.  
  
(A/N#3: Oooo... Spooky, eh? Anywho, I'll get chapter 2 up ASAP. And BTW, I'll include a pronunciation guide at the end of chapter 2. Have fun waitin!)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Allies Jendai Kaalae and Merana Sali

(A/N#1! Oh yeah! Here it is! Chapter 2!! Again, I own nothing except the characters I make up. Don't sue me... please?)  
  
Chapter Two:  
Allies Jendai Kaalae and Merana Sali  
  
A woman was seated at her kitchen table; fully dressed and watching the minutes tick by when he entered. Relief filled her. She stood, watching the man stomp through the door, a limp body in his arms.   
"By all the gods, Jendai! What the hell happened? Did you run the poor thing over?"  
"No! I told you! Some human kid was chasing him. They kinda went over the bridge... and he-uh... fell in the river..."  
"Jendai... you're supposed to be keeping this sort of thing from happening so I don't have to work so hard."  
"Oh sure. I nearly kill myself driving that hunk of scrap so you can have an easy time patching them up."  
"You know I'm nowhere near as good as I should be. Damn it, I'm not on my planet anymore, remember that, Kaalae. And besides, you did not almost die! The truck looks fine!"  
"Have you seen traffic lately?"  
"Oh be quiet. Hand him over and let me work what magic I have. Go change or something. Eat a sandwich, I don't care, just stay out of here. I don't need your life force interfering with his.  
"You mean what life force I have left."  
"Shut up."  
"Fine, where do you want him?"  
"Couch. And Jendai?"  
"Yel-low?"  
"What is THAT?"  
"Oh this? Remember I said he had a green dog? This is what's left of it. Circuits are fried or something. No biggy. Nothing I can't handle."  
"Oh."  
As the man left, the woman moved to the prone form that had been placed with utmost care on the soft cushions of the couch. Candles were lit and had been placed all around in preparation for the task at hand. It was routine. She had done this so many times that the relatively simple steps were ingrained in her memory. Kneeling, she touched the large, opal pendant at her throat with delicately boned fingers. Her soft, gentle voice whispered a single word, "Hatany." The large stone glowed a bright yellow. Its light spread throughout her body, illuminating her amber-colored eyes. Slowly, she spread her hands towards the flickering candles, drawing the light to her. It took very little effort and very little concentration at this stage.   
More light streamed from the candles, wrapping itself around her. It bound itself to each part of her slight body, so that even individual strands of hair were filled with yellow radiance. She took a deep breath, sending herself into a light trance. It was now that she touched her pendant again, this time murmuring, "Sejus." Her voice echoed eerily around the room.   
The yellow light then abruptly changed to a healing blue, matching the colors of her pendant. It filled her eyes, turning them from amber to cerulean. Now came the part that had been the most difficult since she'd been forced to leave her home. She breathed deeply again, sending herself deeper into the trance. She placed one fragile hand on the body's chest, the other on his forehead. Another deep breath shot her onto almost another plane entirely. Her vision dulled, swam and changed. Colors were gone, leaving mere outlines of crystal where substantial objects and living things had been. Only she remained solid. Two strands of sparkling luminescence rose from her hands. Black cracks had appeared in the one atop the body's chest. The strand emitting from his forehead was clear of all such blemishes. She removed her hand from his head and placed it over his chest as well. She would need all her power.  
She carefully concentrated on gently pushing the blue light from her body into the cracks. This would have to be done as carefully and slowly as she dared. The last time she'd attempted this, she had botched it, and almost killed the recipient. She needed to get back home. Her powers were diminishing with each week she spent here. She knew it was the work of the dark one. It would stop at nothing to see her people destroyed. The cracks slowly began to fill. That was good. And unexpected. Maybe she could get a full healing in on this one and have him sent back this very night.   
Her power suddenly fractured. Instantly, she jerked her hands away before the break in power could affect the recipient. Her vision abruptly snapped back into focus, sending her reeling to the floor with a cry. A few moments later, someone was cradling her head.   
"Mer! What happened?"  
"My... my power snapped... right in the... middle."  
"Are you okay?"  
"I will be..."  
He helped her sit up. She discovered she was shaking and braced herself against him. A gloved hand-apparently he'd changed out of what he'd been wearing earlier-stroked her hair comfortingly. From a glance it was obvious that she hadn't gotten a full healing in. The ugly burn looked smaller and older, but blood still oozed from the open wound. She didn't have the energy to check the scrapes and burn on the body's hands, but she assumed they looked much the same. She braced against him again as she stood, small frame wracked with jerking tremors.   
"You need me to bandage him up?"  
"Please, Jendai... I need some rest."  
"I was just about to suggest that."  
  
~ ~ ~   
  
It was dark. So very, very dark. He was still being chased. This time though, it was the science humans who always haunted his dreams. They were tireless, relentless, fearless. He was exhausted. Fearful images arose, foretelling death and destruction. It was unsettling. He could feel them grabbing him, tearing him...  
And then awoke.  
Where was he? Zim looked around wildly, not recognizing anything. He was lying in a human bed, which sat in a darkened room. Dimly, he could make out the shapes of other beds forming two rows on each side of the room. How did he get here? All he could remember was falling... and hitting the water... Puzzled, he leaned back on his hands, trying to relax.  
With a strangled yelp, he sat back up, clutching his left hand. The pain slowly receded, allowing him to peer at the injured palm. His glove had been removed and a gauze bandage was wrapped about his hand. He stared. Now he remembered the events of the nights before. Dib, the "tazer," GIR, everything. Superstitiously, he touched his face gingerly. Sure enough, another bandage bound the burn that had been scorched into his green Irken face. It still hurt, as did his hands. Yet the pain seemed dulled by something. He shook his head, trying to shake off his disturbing thoughts to make room for anything else that would come.  
So, someone had pulled him out of the river and treated him. But who? And why? Another thought bubbled up, unbidden. His disguise! A quick pass over his head showed that his wig was gone. His antennae twitched backwards in fear. His secret was out. He was utterly doomed. Zim drew his knees up to his chest, noticing the absence of his boots as well. The little alien shivered fearfully. Now what? he thought. He had no idea where he was, or how to get back to base. GIR was most likely lost at the bottom of whatever river the duo had landed in. There was no way to contact the Tallest to inform them of his failure or request help. Not that he wanted to admit his failure to anyone but himself. He felt the first wave of depression roll over him. He was doomed. "So," he murmured, hugging his knees tighter. "I suppose the humans have won after all..."  
No! He could not let that be so! He was an Invader! Invaders never surrendered! Zim pushed himself into a standing position with his robotic legs, surveying the scene. A window loomed above his bed, tempting him. Extending his legs out farther, he reached the ledge and peered out onto the darkened landscape. Maybe he could pry it open with his undamaged fingers... The attempt failed shortly after he applied pressure. He glowered at the device. A spare leg emerged, smashing itself against the glass. Zim's attacks became frantic. He had to escape. He just had to!   
The door creaked open, sending a shaft of light into the room. Zim jumped. His robotic legs retracted, sending him falling to the bed. From his fall, the sheets billowed upwards like sails. Muttering dizzily, he sat up, shuffling backward towards the wall. He looked up, antennae pricked with attentiveness. It was now or never. Now it was time to meet his fate at the hands of whoever it was that had entered. He saw a silhouette slip in, and heard the door close. "Well, you're awake," a vaguely familiar tenor voice called from the dark. "Good." A light flicked on, showing him only his bed, not the room beyond. Zim blinked against the brightness, screwing up his eyes.   
"Who... who are you?" the Invader stuttered. The person moved into the light, finally allowing Zim to get a good look at them. He stared. His mouth fell wide open. For a long, rare moment, the Irken was speechless. "T-Tallest?" he squeaked. "How-"  
" 'Tallest'?" the figure quoted in disbelief. "Well, that's a new one. Although, I suppose I do happen to look like one or the other..."  
"Who are you?" Zim repeated, scooting away. His antennae fell back in nervousness.  
The tall Irken standing beside him grinned down, light illuminating only his olive-green face and odd blue eyes. His straight antennae were perked up attentively, showing only an amused interest in Zim. "I," he began, his smile fading. "am Jendai Kaalae. A mechanic, Student Class." That explained his eyes. He leaned closer, slim shoulders and upper torso becoming visible. He wore nothing close to the standard mechanic's wear that Zim had seen. Instead, he had a shirt of overlapping blue triangles. But what was most striking about him so far were his eyes. Of course Zim was used to the variety of eye colorations of the Student Class; it was just unnerving to see one off of Irk. Students rarely left the planet, as their talents were invaluable to its inhabitants. "And who are you, Soldier?"  
At least he had Zim's class correct. "Invader Zim," he answered. "Soldier Class, Invader rank. Worked on Impending Doom I."  
This produced a chuckle from the tall Irken. "Prompt response, no doubt you're a soldier." He moved away into the darkness. Zim's antennae twitched at the odd clicking sound this Jendai made as he moved. It sounded almost mechanical... nothing like footsteps at all. The lights in the room suddenly flickered on. He rubbed his large eyes as they adjusted to the abrupt change in light. Now Zim could truly see the Irken he'd been speaking too.  
Jendai Kaalae was tall. Tall as far as Irkens went anyway. He stood an impressive five feet, seven inches tall. So it was obvious why his clothing looked so odd. He wore an interesting combination of mechanic black and blue-the color of his striking eyes. The triangles on his shirt were every color blue Zim had ever seen. Classic black gloves covered his olive-green hands and wrists, going almost to his elbows. He wore normal looking boots too, although those were nearly invisible beneath baggy black pants that were swirled with dark blue. From his back pod-also colored black and blue-gray and blue robotic legs sprouted, suspending him above the floor. That explained the sound. But why was he using them when he could just as easily walk across the room?  
With a sigh, the big Irken approached his bed, robotic legs picking their delicate way across the room. He sat on the edge, sighing again as the legs withdrew into his pod. Grimacing, he picked up one of his real legs and folded it neatly beneath him, pushing himself up with his other hand. He repeated the process with the other leg. Coolly, he returned Zim's stare. "Paralyzed," he said simply, gesturing to the limp limbs beneath him. "Some son of a bitch, human shot me from behind after I got here. Long story."  
Zim found himself unable to start or complete a sentence.   
Jendai shot him a sympathetic look. "I'll give you the short version." He took a long breath. "I'm here on this technology-forsaken space rock because I was banished from Irk. Got too tall, was a threat to the Tallest, etc. My ship kinda blew up when I got here, and as you can see, some bastard nailed me. I'm stuck here." His antennae twitched slightly back. "Not that I'd want to go back..." The antennae straightened abruptly. "Anything else you need to know, I'll tell you in time. Now, I have a few questions for you, Invader Zim."  
"I'll answer anything that does not endanger my mission," Zim murmured.  
The big Irken made a fluttering motion with his long fingered hands. "You remember falling in the river, correct?" He watched Zim nod before continuing. "When I first arrived on this planet the first thing I learned was 'water + Irken = burned Irken," he chuckled slightly as he said that. "But when I got you out of the river, you were fine-er, as fine as you could be with that thing on your face. Why is that?"  
"Ah, yes!" Zim beamed. "I used paste!"  
" 'Paste'?" Jendai intoned, squinting one of his eyes confusedly. "What?"  
"I studied the substance carefully and discovered that when applied to our skin, it repels water quite nicely," the small Invader explained.  
"Ah," the other tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Wonder why I didn't think that up? Not much to do around here but dream up crazy schemes like that." He took a long, studying look at Zim, mechanic's eye cool but not unfriendly. "It's obvious why you're here, Invader. But, tell me how long you've been stuck here. What have you been doing this whole time?"  
So, Zim told him. This Student was no threat to his mission. A banished Irken would be unable to contact anywhere, and no matter what their status, Irkens did not kill each other. Of course, there were exceptions to this rule. Soldiers were sometimes called upon to execute some who had committed crimes to terrible to speak of. But, Jendai wasn't a Soldier, and Students were passive... for the most part. So, he explained Dib, his mission, his plots...  
"So it was YOU who was responsible for the whole Ultra-Peepi incident? And the failure of Impending Doom I?" Jendai chuckled. "I knew an Irken was to blame, but here I am, talking to the one who made a hamster destroy a city and the one who went ballistic on his home planet!"   
Zim blushed. When Jendai had controlled his laughter, he continued on with his own banishment, Impending Doom II, the Great Assigning and his assignment. As he came to the creation of GIR, Jendai stopped him. There was a curious, troubled look in the Irken's blue eyes. "Thanks for all this info, Invader," the mechanic said softly. The legs appeared from his back pod, helping him to rise. He stood for a moment, lost in a faraway thought, his eyes haunted and distant with the torment of old memories. "You need rest, Zim," he ordered. "It's late. I'll be around in the morning. Until then, you need some sleep." With those words, the odd Jendai Kaalae left, his robotic legs clicking quietly against each other and the floor.   
The Invader pondered this stranger for a while after his departure left the room dark again. Another Irken on this space rock? And a Student at that... This planet was supposed to be a secret from all. How on Irk did Jendai end up here? Zim sighed heavily. The paralyzed mechanic had promised him an explanation once day had come. So he would just have to wait. Zim had plenty of patience. He was an Invader after all. The little Irken lay down on his uninjured side, still thinking. Why had he been rescued? How had Jendai known where he was?   
These thoughts troubled him until sleep claimed Zim as its prize.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
He was unable to tell how many hours had passed after he'd fallen asleep. Zim yawned, slowly sitting up. He felt better. Not test-lazer-weasles-fight-Dib-win-deal-with-GIR-go-to-skool-come-home-fight-Dib-and-win-again better, but more like his old eccentric self. He stretched, feeling awake and ready to face whatever his host had in store for him. A glance around the now-bright room left him a bit surprised. Jendai was already waiting for him, perched on the edge of an unoccupied bed, drinking something that gave off small puffs of steam. The tall Irken was apparently lost in thought, staring at a single spot on the wall while sipping his drink. His eyes were dark and distant, breaking their stare only to help him grimace at the taste of his drink. The concentration on that spot was somehow eerie. Finally, he noticed Zim. "Mornin' Invader," he called over. The gloved hands wrapped tighter around the cup as he took another long drink. "Coffee," Jendai explained around a displeased face. "Wakes me up the way I make it. Nearly kills me the way Mer makes it."   
"Disgusting human beverage," Zim snorted in contempt. "All things... edible on this planet are."  
"After you've been stuck on Earth as long as I have, Invader Zim," Jendai said seriously. "you learn it's either develop a taste for human food or die a slow painful death." His mood lightened abruptly. "You feel like taking a walk? I'd like to have you meet Mer now. She's the one who patched you up after I brought you in."  
The Invader's antennae pricked with interest... then drooped as he remembered yet another neglected factoid. "Excuse me, Mechanic?" he asked.  
"Damn it, that's Jendai, or 'Dai or Kaalae. Whichever the hell you like. Just not Mechanic or Student, all right?" Jendai snapped, his antennae flicking inward briefly. He calmed himself almost immediately, then replied, "What?"  
"What day-Irken day-is it?" Zim mumbled, toying with a bit of sheet. "Do you know?"  
"1st day, 1st week, 9th month," the mechanic rattled off. He stared into space once more, as if the information came to him from the very planet he'd left. "Why?" he asked, suspicion evident in his eyes and tone. "You waiting for something important?"  
"I... uh need to contact my superiors and inform them of my mission status..." the Invader said quietly. He tactfully elected not to mention whom exactly his superiors were. "They will be worried that my mission here is not going as planned if I do not make contact at the appointed time."   
Jendai was quiet for a second or two. He blinked a few times, thinking. After a moment, the robotic legs appeared to allow him to rise, and he beckoned Zim to follow him out the door. The little Irken slowly climbed out of bed, feeling awkward without his boots on. His legs held up fine, supporting his slight weight enough to be able to follow Jendai out into the hallway. He was forced to jog slowly to keep up with the long robotic strides of his companion. The tall Irken soon noticed this, and slowed his pace for Zim's benefit. The hallway was carpeted in a thick, blue rug that nearly swallowed the Invader's small feet in its luxuriousness. Windows were nonexistent, light coming from the open rooms it led to. "The console's in here," Jendai said, gesturing to a plain, wood door. "I had to build it myself from scrap I found around here." He blushed somewhat. "Lots of crashed things, old TV's and toaster wires become useful if you know how to tweak them right." He gave Zim a gentle shove towards the door. "Don't worry, Invader. I'll be right out here if you need me."  
Zim ducked inside and was startled instantly by the scale of the room. He took a few moments to look around as the lights flicked on. The door closed softly soon after. The computer console was easily visible, being the largest thing in the room. It was odd looking... Parts of it were recognizable as Irken technology, but most resembled scrapped bits of human "technology." The monitor wasn't even a real monitor, just a large TV set wired into a mess of-what had Jendai called them?-"crashed things and toaster wiring." He approached it with typical Invader caution, acting as if the monstrosity may leap up and attack him at any moment. Other objects caught his attention as he crept forward. Those drew his attention next. Tables covered in tools both human and Irken lay around bits and pieces of unrecognizable things. The only things he could easily recognize were GIR and a badly smashed, blue voot runner.  
GIR drew his attention first. He approached his robot, antennae pricked forward with caution. The small SIR unit sat on a worktable, its eyes dark and dead. Its head was open, wires protruding. Smaller panels in GIR's body were opened as well, the circuitry revealed like metallic viscera. Around it, tools lay in positions one could only form after working with them. Another SIR's head lay to the right of GIR, providing a model for the mechanic to use. Jendai must have been fixing GIR for him... Curious, Zim picked up the head. Perhaps this had been Jendai's SIR at one time. He peered into the open head, looking at where the identification was always kept on these older models.  
"Standard Information Retrieval Unit (SIR unit)  
#295101246-27BM  
Property of Invader   
Des."  
Zim put the head back down. Who on Irk was this... Des? And why was his-or her, his mind added-SIR's head lying here, forgotten? He decided to leave the thoughts alone. The voot runner attracted him next. The badly-damaged, Student issue craft was not unlike his own voot cruiser in design, except for the storage compartments on the sides and the faded blue coloration. It had to be Jendai's. For the most part, it was the same color as his eyes. It was the rule among the Student Class to have your personal belongings match the color of your eyes. Clothing was colored with your occupation and eye color-black for mechanic and blue for his eyes, in Jendai Kaalae's case. Zim stood right beside the voot now. He ran his good hand over the shattered front hatch and atmosphere-scarred hull. His voot cruiser had been marked in such a way when he'd first landed. But he had fixed those simple bits of damage. His though, hadn't been beaten as terribly as Jendai's had. Pieces of the front hatch were missing, cracks had appeared in everyplace crack-able and the engine casings were severely melted. He would have thought a mechanic of Jendai's caliber would have fixed it by now... With a shrug, he turned his attention from the mangled wreck to the console.  
Closer inspection showed the main console to be ripped straight out of the voot runner behind him. Zim felt a small pang of sympathy for the banished Irken, made to work with whatever resources he could get his hands on, even if those resources came from the only things he had to remember his home by. Well, at least he could work it easily enough. He punched in the familiar frequency, never having to stop and think. The machine hummed loudly, filling the room with its sound. It was normal for inferior technology, no matter how well-constructed, to function in such a medieval manner. He couldn't help taking an involuntary step back nonetheless. A loud beep, and the words, "Processing Request" written in Irken scrawled their way across the screen. He drummed his fingers against the console, waiting. Finally, the monitor beeped again, showing a rather fuzzy Irken face. It was one of the operators on the bridge of the Tallest ship. She took one look at Zim and narrowed her eyes. The operator swiveled in her seat, making a motion to the two Irkens seated on a raised platform behind her. "My lords Tallest," he heard her say. "Message from... Earth."   
Zim pretended he didn't hear the contempt in her voice.   
There was a muted grumbling from the Tallest. "Thank you, Azel. Put him on screen," one of them said, sounding rather resigned.  
The female's face vanished, replaced by what Zim usually saw when he contacted his superiors. The Tallest were seated this time, staring at anything in the room but him. Red was playing with a paperclip while Purple chewed his lower lip. "My Tallest," Zim began, saluting respectfully. They looked at him now, Red nearly dropping his paperclip in surprise. "I am reporting in as my mission requires-"  
"What happened to you?" Purple blurted, his lavender eyes fixated on the bandage attached to Zim's face. Red blinked at it for a few moments, then went back to trying to remove the paperclip that had somehow gotten stuck to his upper lip.   
"I-uh... was involved in a fight," Zim answered. His hand slid upward to block the sight of the wound from them. "Now, for the details of my mission."  
Red had somehow gotten the paperclip attached to his left antenna. With a squeak of desperation, he tugged on the offending clip, muttering to himself as each tug hurt. The other Tallest ignored him. "Where are you exactly?" the conversation continued over a serious of frustrated noises.  
"Why, Earth, my Tallests." Zim disliked hiding things from his superiors. Fierce loyalty was ingrained into every Soldier from the moment their training started, making them devoted little things. However, he felt he could slide by this time for the sake of getting his new information out. The mission always came first. "A few simple redecorations in the laboratory to perfect my disguise as a perfectly normal human worm."   
There was a startled yelp as the Soldier Tallest fell backwards in his chair. A metallic glitter showed the paperclip gliding through the air, apparently freed of its own accord from Red's antenna. Angry, half-lidded red eyes peered over the upturned chair, darting around the room for the wayward clip. "Over there," Purple muttered disdainfully, placing his head in one hand while gesturing the direction with the other. His whole attitude was one of barely contained annoyance towards the-more often than not-dimmer Tallest. The violet eyes focused now on Zim, annoyed position of antennae never moving. "So, what exactly do you have in the way of new information, Zim?" he asked, staring towards the ceiling as if the tiles there were far more interesting.  
"Well," the Invader began, then paused as the soft sound of a closing door and click of robotic legs was heard. He frowned momentarily. "I have warned you already of the deadly... water balloons. Each day on this planet shows new dangers. Ah, yes. There are other alien races on this planet too. I'm sure you have heard of the Nar-gok?"   
By this time, Red had found his paperclip. He began stomping around on the ground, trying to crush it while murmuring curses under his breath. "Hmm?" Purple made a slightly interested noise, his antennae twitching forward. "Those things were on... that planet?"  
"Yes, my Tallest," Zim answered crisply. The clicking noise grew a bit louder and then died away into nothingness once more. "I'm beginning to wonder whether or not this planet is truly secret-"  
"Fascinating Zim," the Student Tallest interrupted. "But I'm afraid we'll have to cut this session short. We have another Invader trying to call." Red had found a lazer. "Try again sometime, don't contact us, we'll contact you. Tallest Purple out." Before the screen could turn to black, Zim caught a glimpse of Red firing the lazer at what he supposed was the paperclip, yelling, "Die paperclip! Die!"  
A soft chuckle from behind him caused Zim to jump. He whirled to face a baggy pair of black and blue pants hanging a foot from his face. Higher inspection showed an olive-green face wrapped with a tired half-smile. "Son of a bitch..." Jendai murmured to himself, the amused look never vanishing. "Those genetic accidents haven't changed a bit..." Now he looked at Zim. "They don't seem to really give a damn about your report, Invader." His tone was not unkind.  
"They must have been preoccupied."  
"Mmm," the mechanic grunted. "C'mon. I want you to meet Merana now." There was an excited impatience in his voice. "Get your other legs out. I don't want to slow down too much. Too damn hard. Plus, there's no humans around here to sneak a look."  
They exited Jendai's workroom, robotic legs clicking against the floor. Hallways were huge, stretching for what seemed like miles. Everything was painted white, white with touches of amber and gold. It was unlike anything Zim had ever seen; either on Irk or on Earth. Furniture such as chairs and tables followed the same color scheme, also holding a delicate appearance. "Mer's fave colors are gold, amber and white," Jendai explained, his eyes once again distant. He smiled down at Zim. "Amber for her eyes, white for her clothes and gold for her jewelry." A light chuckle. "She blends into her own house."  
Eventually, the duo made it into a kitchen. Light flooded in through a large window overlooking many man-made streams and waterfalls flowing into pools of koi. The sight of all the water sent an involuntary shudder through Zim. Too many bad memories. Jendai "strode" ahead of him, tall body blocking out much of the room. It was a standard Earth kitchen, resembling Zim's own, only in white, gold and amber once more. Below the tall Irken's pants, he could see a separate pair of feet, clad in sandals and half-hidden by a white skirt. "Hey, Mer," Jendai drawled, leaning over the other being. "I brought the green kid."  
Musical, exquisite laughter came from the being hidden from Zim. As one, the Irken and being turned to face him, Jendai's arms encircling delicate shoulders. The Invader almost yelped in fright. An oval, large-eyed human face peered over the arms wrapped around it. A human. A human had seen him without his disguise! Recovering from his scare momentarily, he studied this odd human. Short, white-blonde hair dangled into amber eyes. Judging from the skirt and voice, it was obviously a female human... a very small, very slight female human. Even at Zim's diminutive height, he still came up to her waist. As the mechanic had said, gold jewelry hung off of her neck, wrists and ankles. Each gold piece was inset with a sparkling, iridescent stone. "Hello, Green Boy," the human said quietly, smiling at him. Seeing his fear, she pushed Jendai out of the way, coming to kneel before Zim. "Don't fear me..." she touched his uniform, thinking. "little Invader. I'm as close to an ally as you're going to get."  
"Who... who are you?" Zim demanded, frowning as his voice broke with nervousness. "What are you?"  
A finely boned hand reached out to shake Zim's gloved one; a human gesture of goodwill. "I am Merana Sali. Defender of the Lost Ones and Opposer of humans."  
  
(A/N#2: Okay, here's the pronunciation guide for those of you who'er lost.  
Jendai Kaalae: Gen-die Ka-al-lé  
Merana Sali: Mer-ah-nah Sae-lee And prepare for chapter 3... once I get some freaking time...)  
(A/N#3: Questions? Comments? You know what to do. If you have flames for me, why the hell are you reading this?)   
  
  



	3. An Explanation and a New Enemy

(A/N#1: Oh yeah! Chapter 3! I'm rollin! Woooo-Whooo! Thankies fer all the nice reviews people! Keep 'em coming!)   
  
Chapter Three:   
An Explanation, And A New Enemy   
  
"I should have your SIR ready later today," Jendai said simply. He slid into the seat opposite Zim, a sandwich in hand. After their first meeting, the threesome had moved into the next room, sitting at a large table to continue their conversation. A withered vase of roses sat in the middle, water cloudy with age. Briefly, Zim wondered why it hadn't been changed. "It's a mess, but, uh, I'm almost done." He took a large bite out of the sandwich as he finished.   
Merana leaned over, barely avoiding her coffee cup, inspecting the food in the tall Irken's hand. "What in the name of the gods do you call that, 'Dai?"   
"Lettuce and ketchup sandwich," the mechanic replied with a sly grin. "Here, want some?" The sandwich was thrust into her face.   
The Invader almost laughed at the look the odd human got on her face. "Disgusting!" she groaned, pushing it away. "How can you eat that crap?"   
A nonchalant shrug. "I take what I can get." His eyes grew distant again. "Not like I can cook like I used to on this miserable excuse for a planet." The mechanic's gloved hand sought the small human's in a desperate plea for comforting. Her slight fingers rubbed the soft fabric gently.   
Zim stared at the contact. He'd heard all about the differences between his Class and Jendai's. Eye color was the most noticeable. Students' eye colors came in every color, shade and tint possible; while Soldiers came in two, red for males, purple for females. Students were, by nature, more prone to deeper emotions and passiveness than their Soldier counterparts. But the biggest difference by far was what happened to each Class after their birth. Soldiers were sent straight from the tubes where they had matured to programming and training with robotic instructors, learning what made you weak and who you served. On the other hand, Students were around other Irkens from the earliest possible moment, preparing them for long lives of dealing with their species. Sure, he'd heard all about the lovers of the Student Class, but witnessing just this bit of foreign emotion sent an eerie feeling through his brain. "Sorry, what?" he asked, snapping out of his musings.   
"I asked if you wanted some explanations now," Merana repeated.   
"That would be helpful," Zim answered with a slight nod.   
Slight, delicate fingers that looked too old for the human wrapped around the cup before her, drawing in its warmth. Her pale lips pursed before she began. "Judging by your first reaction to me," she said, musical voice soft. "and 'Dai's for that matter, you've realized I bear more than a slight resemblance to the humans. I didn't really plan on this..." A slight smile appeared, trying to tie-in some humor with her explanation. "But my species and humans are actually quite similar. Not like Irkens and humans, no. Our differences are very subtle. You don't see them outright, you have to... probe, if you will." She shrugged. "What I'm trying to say Zim, is that I'm an alien to this planet too."   
Zim gave her a suspicious squint. "Prove it," was the skeptic's answer.   
Her strange amber eyes glazed over with an odd light. It flowed gently through her free hand, coloring it brightly. Almost mechanically, she reached out and touched the roses, letting the light cross from her fingers to the plants. They slowly arched upward, the water clearing as the light entered it. When the glow died, each one stood up as if freshly cut. Jendai applauded against a lifeless leg, smiling around a mouthful of sandwich. "Need any more proof?" Merana asked, cocking one sliver eyebrow. "No human has this ability to heal. Only my race. I believe you Irkens have heard of us." The mechanic looked up from his food at that sentence. We have? his look asked.   
The Invader pondered this a moment. His brain wandered over several possibilities, dropping them for another. "Djemy," he declared proudly. "Most intelligent race found in the Ky'satm system. They had abilities no other race in the universe had. Planet J-meyt destroyed two hundred years ago by unknown force before the Empire could assist. Only known ally to Irkens. The Djemy race took refuge on any planet they could get to with their limited-no offence intended-technology. Some found their way on to passing Irken ships and were relocated to one of Irk's habitable moons where Irkens could aid them. Even under Imperial protection, they died off one by one."   
"Ah yes, my sad, sad history," Merana sighed. "And it's Jaimeyt, little Invader. Irkens always did have a difficult time with our language. Too complex for their throats to comprehend, as our elders said."   
It took Zim a while to process this. "Wait a moment!" he blurted. "If it's your history, then that would make you..."   
"Two hundred and five years old." Jendai nearly choked on his sandwich at the look on Zim's face. The Djemy allowed herself a chuckle. "Our race has a very long lifespan," she explained. "I was brought here by my mentor, as I lost my parents during the escape. It was here that I learned our arts and a tolerance for all other races. You see," she paused, adjusting her jewelry. "races from all over the galaxy have bumped into Earth at one time or another. I suppose you could say Earth is a rest stop on the galactic highway. Every so often, someone-be it Irken or otherwise-lands in need of aid. I call them, ha demal unte, 'the lost ones'. Humans often times persecuted them or even imprisoned them. I took it upon myself to seek out any lost ones I could and help them get back to wherever home was."   
"And that's how you ended up with a banished mechanic and me," Zim mused. "I'm an Invader," he declared. "not a hem dial tae or whatever."   
Jendai added a comment, his words garbled by the last bit of sandwich. He frowned, swallowed and repeated himself. "But, you were in need of our help," the mechanic said pointedly.   
"Another thing," the Invader cut in. "how on Irk did you find me?"   
Merana flashed a slight smile. "That's where Jendai Kalie comes in."   
"That's Kaalae. See; pronounce it with me. Kah-all-lé."   
"Whatever." The Djemy muttered something about the aggravating simplicity of Irken names. "Anyway," she began pointedly. "When 'Dai realized he was going to be stuck with me for a hell of a long time, he decided he'd drive around whatever city we were in at the time, looking for anyone who stood out as an outsider. If they needed rescuing, he took care of it and brought them to me." She patted Jendai's hand affectionately. "He works good for being a paralyzed blob of Irken-dom."   
The tall Irken only growled. "I'm starved Mer," he said, rising. "I'm going to make another sandwich." The blue eyes focused on Zim. "Want one?"   
"Sure..." Zim murmured. He was dazed by all this information. His instructors at the Academy had always said that the Djemy were not concerned with any races other than themselves, making that the reason why they died off. Maybe this one was the exception. Or perhaps it was his instructor who was wrong... "I still find it hard to believe..."   
"What?" Merana asked, arching a pale eyebrow. "Well, yes, I suppose my story is hard to accept at first, but it gets easier with time." She looked him in the eye. "Trust me," she ordered, amber eyes flashing green briefly as their pupils narrowed like a cat's.   
"Goddamn it!" came Jendai's voice from the kitchen. A long stream of human curses followed the crash of a glass. "Piece of shit!"   
Zim's antennae fell back involuntarily. "What's his problem?" he asked timidly.   
"Oh, him..." the Djemy sighed, leaning back in her chair. She shook her head. "Don't mind Jendai. Don't get on his nerves either. Last poor bastard who did that found themselves taking a dip in the pond with a black eye and more than a few broken things. He's got a lot of anger in him, Jendai Kaalae," she said softly. "I dunno what happened to him back on your planet, but it... I'm not quite sure what it did to him." She looked at her hands, cupping the air slightly. "Just... when I tried to heal him for the first time, I just got this feeling like he wasn't always so angry. He was innocent once, then something happened and made him the way he is now."   
"I think I may know," Zim began, but was stopped by Jendai's entrance.   
"Mer. He's back," was the clipped sentence.   
"How do you know that?" she asked suspiciously. Before the Irken could answer, an alarm went off. It wasn't too loud, just loud enough to alert the occupants of the house before the intruder could get too close. Her suspicious look turned incredulous. "How the hell do you do that, Kaalae?"   
The mechanic gave her a sincere grin. A gloved hand tapped the base of his antennae as he spoke. "These don't let an Irken down," he replied cockily. The Irken eyes focused on Zim, one half-closed in questioning. "Don't tell me you didn't hear anything, Invader."   
"I thought I did," Zim answered truthfully. He stood. "Is this human you speak of dangerous to us?" At their strange looks, he elaborated. "Because if so, I am willing to aid you in the defense of this base."   
Jendai chuckled slightly, folding his arms over his chest. "Sorry to disappoint you, Invader," he said. "But, we got this under control. Yeah, that human bastard is dangerous to us. Me and Mer especially. Wants us both dead. Personally, I think he's the asshole who shot me in the first place. Damn, I'd like to..." he stopped, realizing he'd gotten off-track. "Anyway, he's some kind of government human. Works to rat-out everyone Mer tries to help, and bring both of us in as aliens. Hasn't succeeded yet, thanks to my security systems."   
"What are you going to do?" the Invader asked slowly.   
"Drive him off our property," the mechanic said simply, reaching around to press a button on his back pod. Almost instantly, his olive-green skin changed to the pinkish human coloration while his antennae vanished and his robotic legs became his real ones. Zim was startled to realize the disguise looked almost exactly like the human he'd seen at the 24/7. "Very convincing hologram projector," he said with a grin, new pupils of human eyes contracting in the bright light. He obviously knew what Zim was thinking and wasn't about to either confirm or deny it. "Mer invents 'em. I install 'em."   
The Djemy rose, moving to the disguised Irken. "You stay hidden, Zim," she ordered. "Your disguise isn't around and he's bound to force his way in. There's a pot by the sink in the kitchen you should fit in." The doorbell rang. "Go on. We'll be fine." They watched him scurry off before heading to the door.   
Jendai was the one who pulled it open. It was a heavy, solid oak number with polished brass fittings and intricate carvings Merana said were to ward off unwanted spirits. The Irken stuck his head out, glaring menacingly at the human. No carvings, despite how strong they were said to be, could keep this unwanted spirit away. "What?" he growled, allowing the door to open just enough for Merana to peer out from behind him.   
The human facing them was not tall or imposing, yet he carried a strange air of one who cannot be touched by anything or anyone. His name was Frank. Neither one knew if he had a last name. They just knew that beyond that thin, dirty blonde hair, wet gray eyes and standard frame lay the greatest threat to both of their lives. "I finally got the authorities' permission to search your house for proof," replied an astonishingly low voice that whistled through teeth while forming S sounds. "When I find it, both of you will be dead on some autopsy table."   
"If we're doing any thing wrong, damn it, then," Jendai began, but shut up when Merana put her finger to his lips.   
"Let's humor him," she murmured. "Come on in." She pushed the protective Irken away from the doorway, allowing their enemy in. One of her thin arms was all that stood between Jendai and the human intruder. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see his hand clench in an effort to keep himself from striking Frank. Her delicate fingers sought his to give the long-fingered hands something to do. The Irken stiffened at the touch, then relaxed. Still tense, my 'Dai...she thought with a rueful smile.   
The human had begun to move through the house. He thumped against the walls, occasionally pulling out some device to scan everything. So thorough was he, that it took him an hour to leave the entryway. Jendai grew more and more apprehensive, his antennae alternating between falling back and pricking forward beneath the holographic screen. "He's gonna find my room and Zim," he hissed at the softest Irken voices could go. "Not to mention the basement! I have to go... now!"   
Merana squeezed his hand briefly before he ducked off in the direction of the kitchen. The Irken's departure did not go unnoticed by Frank. "Where's he going?" the human barked gruffly.   
"Important phone call. Business matters," she lied with a shrug.   
"Really?"   
"Yes."   
Meanwhile, Zim crouched as close to the bottom of the pot as he could. Footsteps were approaching rapidly. Footsteps that lacked the click of Jendai's robotic legs or the slap of Merana's sandals against the floor. He shivered. A squeak of fright almost escaped him as the cover to the pot lifted. "Get out," Jendai snapped down at him. "Get out now. The human's coming and he's too thorough for my liking." Zim found his collar being seized by a strong arm. "We're hiding in my workroom."   
"Won't he look there?" Zim asked quietly, his gaze reverted to the floor. Being hoisted up so high made him slightly nervous.   
Jendai had already begun jogging towards his workroom, the click of his robotic legs hidden by the hologram. "Not if the door's locked," he grunted between strides. As they passed one room, Merana was heard stalling for time. Zim could recognize the hallways he was carried through, noting this as a major achievement. Sooner than later, Jendai had thrown the door to his room open and locked it behind them. He sighed heavily, shutting off his hologram and collapsing to the floor. Ragged breaths were choked from his throat, trying to turn his face the proper color. "Nerves and running through this house don't mix," he said finally. The tall mechanic sat still a while longer, gulping down air as if it were fine wine. "Wears your mind out, running with these, eh?" He looked sleepy suddenly, almost as if he were about to faint.   
The Soldier looked up at him sympathetically. "I take it you don't run much," he said slowly, still unsure of how to proceed with this Irken. He doubted he ever would.   
"No," Jendai shook his head. "I work my arms mostly. They're used more in my line of work anyway." He flexed the appendages for emphasis, half-smiling at the muscles that emerged. Irkens were a scrawny species as a rule, but Soldiers-and apparently mechanics by Jendai's demonstration-tended to build more muscle structure than others. The tall Irken took a deep breath, closing his eyes sleepily. "Wake me up when you hear him coming, all right?" he murmured. "My brain's tried."   
Zim nodded sympathetically. Unaccustomed use of the back pod attachments often left someone feeling sleepy. Rest was always the best thing, providing the party didn't slip into a coma during sleep. Although, how one such as this Irken could be unused to using their attachments was unknown, Zim left it alone. Jendai had already nodded off, a worried frown creasing his visage. Bored, the Invader wandered around the workroom, examining things he hadn't found time to before.   
One small box, lodged away in a dark corner, protected by cobwebs, caught his eye. Curious, he wandered over to it, sweeping away the filth of neglect with his one gloved hand. "Kaalae #4032," read the carved Irken script. Interest pricked. There was no lock, so Zim simply lifted the lid, covering his sneeze at the dust that billowed out from the old box. Inside were precious few things. A leather-bound book the size of his fists was shoved in the corner, almost covered by a few strips of Irken cloth and a few hologram capsules. He picked up the holograms first, ignoring the ripped bits of an old mechanic's uniform. Flipping the first open, he frowned at its antiquity. The out-of-date technology showed two young Students, both male, one with blue eyes and the other with purple, standing together and laughing. One wore the uniform of a scholar, and the other-the blue eyed one-wore a mechanic's. The scholar towered over Jendai, and was probably around 2'6" at the time. Jendai and one of his Nursery mates? Their age looked about right for graduation from one.   
He set the capsule aside, careful to close it. The next one was an older Jendai, this time with his arms wrapped around a small female chemical researcher. She was beautiful, leggy with sweeping antennae and purple-red eyes. An old girlfriend perhaps? This too was set aside, also closed.   
Yet another depicted two mechanics, one male, the other female. They looked as if in the middle of a ceremony of some sort, with the female kneeling before the male. The orange-eyed male was obviously the elder one, as he towered over the young, magenta-eyed female. Both had a look of joy on their faces. Most likely old friends of Jendai. He closed this as well, carefully selecting the last one.   
Another holograph of a student and their teacher. Instantly, he recognized the small student in the holograph as Jendai, a young Jendai. The Irken beside him was in her later years, as the black sash across her chest and black dots sprinkled above her misty maroon eyes. Jendai clung to her, his innocent blue eyes very wide. One of the female's black-gloved hands lay over his head protectively. A soft, gentle smile wrapped around her face. Jendai's old teacher. Zim sighed, placing the capsule back with the others. He picked up the book.   
"My name, at least the only one I've ever known," the book said in slightly messy Irken. "is Jendai Kaalae. Mechanic, blue-eyed, Jendai Kaalae. Kaalae number 4032. My teacher was maroon-eyed Daske Kaalae, and my student was gray-eyed Min Kaalae. One is dead, and I have little idea what became of the other. My best friend was the purple-eyed scholar Kasden Aman. I have no best friend now, although Kaml Tikem-an orange eyed mechanic-comes close. I had loved, once, while on Irk. Her name was bicolor Leeri Olon; she was a chemical researcher, and one of the best. I miss her so much it hurts to even set this down on paper. Mother of Irk..." The page ended there. Jendai's journal? A pang of sympathy graced his mind. Poor Kaalae. He wondered how long the teacher had been dead. Students never went very far from their teachers after becoming old enough to work on their own. The other female Jendai had been with-the one with the bicolor eyes-must be this Leeri. Frowning with curiosity, Zim read another page.   
"Kaml, Lidge, Regert, Min, Leeri, Kasden... Leeri, Kasden... I can hardly write your names because of the pain. Not in my legs. I stopped feeling that a long time ago. Leeri... Kas... I can contact everyone else, except you two. Not that I would contact everyone else. I've heard of the uprisings. "The Kaalae name lives on." Mother of Irk what I wouldn't give to see our class finally tear down the social ranking of height. I doubt we will. Soldiers are too full of themselves to let us win. And I have the scars to prove it. Kas, if only you weren't so blind. You believed it all. All the lies, all the tricks, all the mental ploys. You're one of them now, my Tallest. And Leeri... Leeri..."   
Jendai snorted in his sleep, startling Zim. He quickly shoved the book back into the box with the capsules, shaking. Seeing that the mechanic was going back to sleep, just waking enough to rearrange his useless legs in a more comfortable position. The Invader sighed with relief, picking up the journal once more.   
"I can hardly remember anyone anymore. The Djemy Merana says that's just my mind healing. I don't believe her. How can forgetting who I am and what I was heal me? My legs are never going to work again. I know that much now. Forgetting Irk and everyone I cared about isn't going to make me spring out of this chair and dance around like a drunken Soldier."   
Zim winced at the insult. Jendai must have hated Soldiers very much. He kept reading. These thoughts gave him a vague idea of how to deal with the only member of his species he knew he'd find on Earth for a long time.   
"Things haven't been going as smoothly as I'd like. For one thing, I'm not so healthy anymore. My legs ache... They shouldn't. I've read up on Irken paralysis from a book a Soldier left here. What a Soldier was doing with a book, I don't know. I shouldn't feel a thing anymore. Not to mention I'm feeling sick. I can't sleep, no human food is edible, I can't concentrate on work, getting bad headaches, I'm getting constantly burned by this 'rain' thing... I want to die. I want to see Daske's face again and have her tell me everything is going to be okay. Maybe I will die. Mother of Irk knows I can't live here any longer."   
He gulped. Suicide? Things must have been awful for Jendai to even consider that option. Again, he dared read more.   
"It's been a while since I've been strong enough to even write. Last week, I tried to die. Being who I am, I didn't have the guts to use a weapon, so I drank something humans call 'antifreeze.' It said on the human TV that it was a deadly poison. It tasted something like ahki and soap. A while later, I threw up. Everything got blurry. Before I could die, the Djemy healed me. I was sick for a long time after. Why she saved me, I have no idea. Couldn't she see how badly I wanted death? She told me I was depressed, and often times depressed humans try and die as I had done. I'm not human. How can I catch a human disease? She is forcing me to eat human food and work again. At night, she commands me to take pills to make me sleep. I don't fight it anymore. I'm too broken, physically and mentally. It doesn't matter anymore anyway. There's no Soldiers here to be unbreakable for. Maybe that's what kept me alive on Irk... Odd how hatred can keep you alive when you have nothing left to cling to."   
Footsteps approached, one having the safe sound of slapping sandals, the other the ominous thud of boots. Panicked, he slammed the book shut, shoving it roughly into the box and jamming the lid shut. Blast his innate curiosity! With a kick, the box was back in its original position, minus a few cobwebs now. The little Invader jogged over to the sleeping Jendai, shaking him with all his strength. But the mechanic was dead to the world. Antennae quivering in apprehension, Zim cocked his head, listening for the blue-eye's pulse. It was slow, sounding almost irregular. He felt his own speed up in fear. "Come on, come on," he muttered, still shaking the prone form. "Get up! I'm doing what you told me! Get up!" His efforts were rewarded with a slight twitch of Jendai's antennae. His eyes narrowed.   
The footsteps were replaced by voices. Merana's musical tones harsh with worry. A lisping, low voice answered her with the same tone. At this voice, one blue eye slid open, blurry with sleep. "Shit," Jendai murmured, his tenor voice raspy. "Goddamn it..." Abruptly, he pushed himself up, bones creaking as he did so. His antennae twitched at the door, listening. Merana could be heard arguing with the human, saying something about Jendai having an important, private business call in the room they were in. The tall Irken frowned in worry, then handed something down to Zim. "There's an elevator by the console that takes you into the basement. Go down there and attach this to the door," he hissed urgently, pressing the hologram projector into the Invader's small hands. "Don't touch anything and make sure you lock the door." He gave Zim a shove towards the console, beginning to talk to himself. "Listen, I don't care if you shipped one box too many!" he shouted to the air. "Call it a gift! It's not like those were expensive to make! Just be sure you get... What the hell do you mean, 'it's held up in Chicago'!? That needs to get to New Orleans by tomorrow night!"   
Zim swallowed nervously. Jendai had ceased his yelling and was now speaking just loud enough to be heard through the door. Despite the fake anger in his voice, his face was creased with fear, the same fear showing in his antennae. The little Invader hurried over to the indentation in the floor that marked the elevator, allowing his weight to push it down. He sank quickly through a long tunnel. All around him, various rooms of the house flashed by, causing him to hope that the enemy wasn't in one of them as well. It stopped with a jerk, almost knocking him off his feet. Cautious as always, Zim exited, taking stock of the room around him.   
A map of the planet covered a bare wall directly before him. Each continent was carved out of the same, iridescent stone Merana wore embedded in her jewelry. On the other walls, larger shapes resembling the earth's large land masses hung, separated into what Zim assumed where countries. In the center of the room, four satellite dishes aimed at each wall, beaming signals onto the gemstone maps. The dishes formed a box around a satin pillow bordered by unlit candles. Curiosity blotted out most things as he started toward the maps that reached to the plain, cement floor. A gloved finger brushed the smooth stone once, experimentally. Don't touch anything, Jendai said in the back of his mind. The Irken backed off, noticing pulsing specks of a thousand different colors spring up all around the maps. Two were green. Only two. Two Irkens on a distant and foreboding planet where the sapient species wanted nothing more than to destroy them. Two green specks alone on a broad expanse of white stone. A swift feeling of loneliness engulfed him. Zim sighed heavily, trudging over to the door to complete his mission.   
He froze, staring stock-still in horror.   
The doorknob was slowly turning. A human's voice could be heard arguing with Merana. How did they get down here so quickly? His fear lessened slightly as the elevator started on its way down once more. Jendai was coming. But, so was the enemy. Panicking, Zim threw himself against the door, praying his strength would be enough to hold back the enemy until Jendai could arrive.   
  
(A/N#2: Okay, so I kinda cut this one short. I have a hundred other stories going, so don't yell at me. The next chapter will be better. Plus, Jendai and Merana are mine! [hugs her 'Dai stuffie] Yes, I have a stuffie of Jendai. Don't ask. Frank... well, you can take Frank. I don't care. Zim and the rest of the gang aren't mine. See ya until chapter 4!)


	4. Scars of Jendai and Female Undergarments

(A/N#1: [Aliet does a little dance!] Chapter 4! Yay! R&R if you have any questions!)   
  
Four   
Jendai's Scars, and Women's Undergarments   
  
The door started creaking open. Zim struggled to hold it shut, straining with every muscle. The elevator seemed to be taking forever, despite the loud and repetitive curses hissed at it from an irate Irken throat. In a single, graceful stride, Jendai crossed the room, bracing himself against the door was well. "How the hell did that bastard get down here so fast?" he hissed, antennae betraying his nervousness.   
"Could he have heard us?" Zim grunted.   
Jendai chewed his upper lip. "Possibly," he muttered, still pushing against the human. "Damn it. There's no other explanation. Damn my voice. It carries too well." He made a surprised sound as the door stopped pushing back. "Mer must have talked him down..." he decided, slowly backing off. When the thing didn't burst inwards, he relaxed, taking the time to gather his robotic legs together. He took a deep breath, deceptively powerful shoulders sagging with relief. The Irken suddenly looked very old and weak, as if any more worries would destroy his fragile hold on life. He began to pace the room, carefully examining the maps.   
"I apologize for touching them," the Invader murmured. "I had forgotten your warning."   
The mechanic waved him off. A heavy sigh escaped him as he stared at the map with the two pulsing green dots. "Just you and me Zim," he said. "Just us. Well, us and Merana anyway." One long finger touched an amber dot briefly, almost lovingly. "Originally, we'd thought it was a malfunction or something. But, I noticed a green kid wandering around by some skool... and I suppose you know the rest." Another gentle, caressing touch.   
It was a while before either of them spoke again. The pulsating and dancing of the hundreds of alien life forces on the planet mesmerized both. Finally, a soft tap at the door snapped them out of their semi trance. "'Dai?" Merana's musical voice called. There was an unmistakable note of affection in her voice. "He's gone."   
"Good," Jendai grunted, heading over to the door. "I stink. Forgot about a shower last night. And the SIR needs work. I'm gonna do that, then shower." He yanked open the door, revealing Merana standing on the other side. She looked worried. The Djemy looked as if she were about to say something, but a shake of Jendai's head stopped her. One finely boned hand touched his shoulder as if to stop him. The mechanic's gloved hand pulled it away, gently brushing past her and out of sight. She sighed softly, watching him go. Zim wandered over to her. "In case you're wondering, Invader," she murmured. "He doesn't shower with water. Some other race was allergic to it too. They made their own out of some stuff we have around here and used that. 'Dai kinda picked up on it. You can use it if you want. I dunno what exactly it is." She shrugged. "Chemistry was never my forte."   
"Do..." Zim began, but halted himself. He'd heard Students talk about how blunt Soldiers were. Instead of finishing, he bit his lip.   
Merana chuckled. "Do I care for him, you mean?" she asked, smiling down at him. The Djemy lost no time in thought. "I know you won't tell him, Zim. So, yes. I do. I care for him very deeply." The smile vanished. "He doesn't feel the same, I can guarantee that. He still cares for Leeri..." Her mood brightened. "Now, Zim. I need to have a look at those burns and maybe get you a sandwich or something."   
The Invader saluted. "I am in your hands, Djemy Merana."   
She laughed sweetly as she led him towards the kitchen. "Mer, if you please," she said.   
"You two are so picky about what you prefer to be called," he grumbled, folding his thin arms over his chest. Zim hadn't meant it to be an insult and was relieved when Merana chuckled. Their walk wasn't too far, either Zim was getting used to the house or there was some strange mechanism that allowed them to walk quicker. In no time, he was seated at the table again, one of the ketchup-lettuce sandwiches before him, and Merana inspecting his left hand.   
"This is looking great, Zim," she murmured, running delicate hands lightly over the injury. Her nails were filled short to allow the sensitive tips to run over her patients' wounds without inflicting more damage. She carefully rubbed some cream into the scabbing palm, watching it vanish before attaching a smaller bandage. "You can put your glove back on now if you want."   
He muttered a thank you through his food. It tasted better than he'd thought. Merana had even brought him some juice, which he hadn't been able to drink in a while due to the substantial amounts of work in the lab. Her work finished with his hand, the Djemy turned to his face. Working lightly, she pulled off the adhesive tape holding the gauze in place against his green skin. It didn't even pinch. A frown graced her face. Taking another bit of gauze, she gently rubbed away the dried blood and other accumulated things. The spot was tender and, despite Merana's care, Zim winced. She gave him an apologetic smile. "This one isn't healing as nicely," she sighed. "You'll have a scar. But, then, what's another scar to a Soldier." It wasn't really a question. More cream was rubbed in, followed by a clean gauze patch and adhesive tape. Finishing, she patted him on the head, rising to put her medical supplies away. "I'm sorry I couldn't heal you all the way, Zim," she called from the kitchen.   
"I won't hold it against you," he replied, swallowing the last of his sandwich. He hadn't realized how hungry he'd been. Apparently, a long chase and a series of near panic attacks left one hungry for anything remotely edible. He finally understood what Jendai meant by developing a taste for human foods when nothing else was around. Thirsty now, he gulped down the juice, savoring its odd, tangy flavor. The Djemy leaned against the entryway to the kitchen, smiling at his sudden enthusiasm. She took a seat beside him, still smiling.   
"It's been a long time since I've had a normal-sized Irken around," she said, watching him drink. "Jendai's attitude problem makes you forget how cute you guys actually are."   
He frowned at the cute comment. "I'm not cute," the Invader said flatly. Embarrassed suddenly, he watched his hands curl around the cool glass. "And I'm not normal, I'm... I'm small. Short, even." His antennae fell back. "I'm a small thing, the Tallest say. So does everyone else."   
"Oh, Zim." She sighed. "That's what I hate about you Irkens. The whole height thing." Merana shook her head. "Being tall doesn't mean you're superior. Damn it, Red is a dumb ass; I've seen him. Purple isn't much better." Her hands spread apologetically. "I don't mean to insult you Zim, that's just how I see your culture."   
Zim nodded. "That is how most outsiders view it." The embarrassment faded. He finished the juice. "May I ask you something?" She nodded. "What prevented you from healing me fully?" he asked. "You were able to revive these flowers perfectly. Is there a limit to what the Djemy can do?"   
"Ah, I should have seen this coming," Merana muttered, running delicate fingers through silver-blonde hair. Her amber eyes darkened. "You knew of the extinction of the Djemy on the Irken moon, Shaet. Your race did everything they could, as we offered medical knowledge they could never gain on their own. Yet, I am still, the last of my kind. We owe this to the powers of the Dark One." Her eyes were distant, pupils contracted into nearly invisible slits. "In our religion, this thing held all the darkness in the universe at its command. It, seeing that we were a race dedicated to the side of good, began to slowly drain our power from us. A Djemy without power is as unable to do anything. Life is a struggle, so, eventually, those who were drained, killed themselves." She fiddled with a short nail. "I'm lucky. This planet is out of the Dark One's range. It can barely reach me here, but even its slight influence is enough to drain away what I have left."   
"So... that is why you are unable to heal me?" he asked curiously. The concept of religion was almost impossible for his Irken brain to grasp. Of course, most Irkens swore by the "mother of Irk," yet the concept was abstract, mainly just something to use as a curse. Normal Irkens were not allowed to use what the Tallest swore by, their choice words being, "by the First Tallest."   
"You don't have to believe me, Zim. I'm not asking you that."   
"I'm not saying that I don't believe you." He tapped his fingers against the table. "Any explanation is welcome right now."   
Another soft smile graced her face. "It isn't every day you get thrown into a river and wind up with a paralyzed Student and the last of the Djemy," she sighed, reaching out to touch his face. "I'm sorry this is such a shock to you, Invader."   
He tensed at her touch, unsure of how to react. She pulled her hand away eventually, the tips of her fingers glowing green slightly. "Blew up half a planet, eh?" she chuckled. Amber eyes regarded her fingers. "Gods, I love these things."   
Zim stared at her in disbelief. If the Djemy had been a warlike people, perhaps they would have replaced Irkens as one of the most powerful races in the universe. No secret could possibly be kept from them with their strange powers. He just hoped no secrets of the Armada or the Empire had leaked out. If they had, he would be doomed. He opened his mouth to ask what exactly the Djemy had learned.   
"Master?"   
His antennae pricked at the small, scared voice. Standing up on his chair, Zim scanned the room, his large eyes falling on a metallic body. "GIR!" the Invader exclaimed, jumping down. The little robot squealed, finally seeing its master. The SIR clutched its stuffed moose tightly, as if afraid of the large house and its occupants. Upon seeing its master though, GIR dropped the moose, running over to Zim's chair and trying to climb up. Zim jumped down, allowing GIR to latch onto his waist and squeeze tightly. "At least you're not all germy this time," he muttered, giving GIR an absent pat on the head. This was normally more attention than he would bestow on GIR. Right now, however, he was just looking for something that was remotely the same as before he'd gone on the trip to purchase a brainfreezie.   
"I was sleepin Master! Then a big master with blue eyes made me wake up and gave me my moosey!" the robot mumbled into Zim's uniform. It looked up at him with adoring eyes. "I love my moosey. And you too Master!"   
"I'm quite sure you do GIR," Zim allowed himself to give GIR a few more pats on the head, causing the little SIR to purr with delight. It was being cute... he had to admit that. Poor GIR must have been terrified when it discovered his absence. Either that, or it had thought Jendai was its master and tackled him instead. The thought of the curses the event would have jarred out of the mechanic brought a chuckle to his lips. Almost reluctantly, he peeled the metal arms from around his waist, having to step out of their encircling grip when this failed. Behind him, Merana hid a light laugh. GIR looked up at this, noticing her for the first time. "Hello there, GIR," she said.   
"Hi lady!" GIR released its hold to take a look at this new being. Its eyes widened. "Hi Human!" Not surprisingly, it wasn't corrected. "I like taquitos. And brainfreezies and cupcakes and tacos and monkeys and my moose and Master and doom things and-" It broke off abruptly. "I forget the rest. Ooooooo!" GIR squealed, spotting the TV set in the adjacent room. "Scary Monkey Show time!" With another squeal of sheer joy, it ran off to watch the only thing that could hold its attention for periods longer than two minutes.   
Merana watched it go, an amused look crossing her face. "Jendai must have loved tinkering with that piece of work," she said thoughtfully. She headed into the room GIR had entered. "Always wanted to see what was so interesting about this show myself," was her excuse. "Plus I have a few breakables in there and that thing seems a little too hyperactive. Why don't you go see if Jendai needs any help with the toaster or some other project he's working on." She glanced at him over her shoulder. "I'd ask you to come with me but, you don't seem like a Scary Monkey type and I can't have you wandering around here on your own." Her voice was fainter with distance. "His room is right across from his workroom, I think you can find that without my help."   
He stood there for a few moments, antennae twitching at the sound of the Scary Monkey theme song. When he did move, the song was over and the aggravating show had begun. Zim remembered where the workroom was by now. He stifled a yawn as he started off down the hall. Where had that come from? He'd just had one of the most complete nights of sleep ever and yet his body still begged for more. Zim resolved to go to bed early tonight, whether he was in his lab or this house. Healing required rest.   
A few doors down from Jendai's room, music filled the air. It was human in origin, and loud. It was what humans called "rock" music. Each step turned up the volume slightly, until he was clutching his head and peering into the actual room. The room was normal enough. A large bed was pushed up against the far wall, below a window with a nightstand-a lamp and book on it-beside it. A bookcase, filled with thick human volumes and a single Irken one, was to the right of the door. From the light fixture on the ceiling, a mobile of stars and two Saturn-like planets hung, twirling slowly. On the left wall were a chest of drawers, a mirror, a closet, the music maker, and Jendai. The music maker was a squat, box-like machine with speakers on each side, which sat on the dresser, in front of the hanging mirror. It was before this mirror that Jendai stood, his shirt gone, singing along to the human music in his sweet tenor voice.   
"In my head I'm a chemical dreamer," both Irken mechanic and human musician sang in unison. When Jendai couldn't understand the human, he substituted the actual words with the word "something." "Speed up to burning mode. Something something something something. Beautify, don't crucify me. What, something something something move my piece right up the board. Losing sure is easy, so I am no more." He picked up a box of soap, using it as a microphone. Blue eyes closed as he sang. But what drew Zim's attention more than the words were the thick, ugly scars covering the Irken's bare, olive-green back. Some were jagged, as if torn with a blunt object. Others were smooth, tapered things confirming that a sharper object had been used. They were all over, some even on the back of his neck. The only place they weren't was around his black and blue back pod. One in particular drew his attention. It was one of the more ragged ones, yet below this one, there was a small, cylindrical lump beneath the skin. Zim stared, a slight confusion building. Not noticing him, Jendai continued to sing. "But I'm not broken," this part was sung with a far more defiant tone. "In my dreams, I win. Here I'm nothing, but a cosmic castaway. Yeah! A cosmic castaway, yeah! A cosmic castawa-" He stopped abruptly, eyes resting on Zim. Long fingers turned down the volume with a deft flick. "How long have you been standing there?" he asked, sounding both amused and resigned at the same time.   
Zim flushed a darker shade of green. "A while," he admitted. "Your singing voice is quite good."   
Now it was the mechanic's turn to blush. "No one was supposed to hear that but... thanks, Invader." He turned around, hiding the scars on his back from view. Unfortunately, even more decorated his muscular chest. A lazy yawn escaped him as he stretched, spreading his fingers luxuriously. Apparently, he noticed Zim's eyes on the scars. "Those are one of the reasons I hate Soldiers so much," he explained softly. "They're from beatings I received at various points in my life. I was never safe. Nor was anyone else I cared about..." His eyes were distant again. As if in a daze, he moved over to the bed, sitting down on the soft surface. "Could you give me a hand, Zim?" he asked.   
"With what?" Curious, Zim approached the tall Irken. In Jendai's hands was a stiff, plastic band lined with soft padding in back. A leather clasp in front appeared to hold it in place. "What exactly is that?" he asked, scrambling up beside the mechanic.   
"It's a back brace," Jendai said, studying the object. "I have to wear this so I don't get paralyzed further." He undid the clasp, sliding it behind him. "What I need you to do is make sure it stays over the little lump back there. All right?"   
Zim carefully guided it into place. He tried not to look at the scars, which looked even worse close up. "Forgive me for asking you this, but... what is the lump exactly?"   
"Remember I said I was shot?" Jendai waited for Zim's nod. "That's the goddamn projectile. It's stuck in my spine so bad that if it was to come out, I'd be worse off than I am now." He made an amused sound. "Maybe even dead." Deftly, he latched the clasps, securing the brace in place. When he finished, he sighed, leaning back on his hands. "Usually I get Merana in here," he explained with a half-smile. "but, uh, me being shirtless has a weird effect on females that I don't care to get into."   
The Invader allowed himself a small laugh. "It is an honor to help one so tall as yourself," he saluted.   
Jendai rolled his eyes. "Damn brain worms," he muttered to himself. "Has to be." His head swiveled from side to side as he cast about for his shirt. "Shit... where the hell is that thing...?" The mechanical legs appeared, lifting him off the bed. He searched the entire room with little luck, finally pausing to think, one hand propping up his head.   
"Um... Jendai...?" Zim asked quietly. He gestured towards the bedpost. "I think it's over-"   
"Shh," the mechanic hissed. "I'm trying to think."   
"But it's-"   
"Quiet," Jendai ordered. His eyes followed Zim's arm to where his shirt hung on the bedpost. "Oh..." Blue eyes narrowed. "Damn... What the hell is wrong with me today? Losing my mind." He collected his shirt, pulling it on in one deft, yank. The mechanical legs disappeared as he sat back down. "So...?" he asked. "Why'd Mer send you in here?"   
Zim shrugged. "The Djemy went to supervise GIR in its viewing of the Scary Monkey Show," he explained. "and told me to come here to see if there was any way I could repay you for the rescue." The last bit was a lie. Well, he had to think up some excuse as to why he was feeling so submissive lately. This was the only explanation he could come up with.   
Long fingers drummed against a dead leg. They stopped suddenly as their owner realized his glove was missing. Hurriedly, the glove was jerked on to cover the warped fingers in the right hand. A heavy sigh escaped Jendai. "They were broken once, and never really healed exactly like new." Yet another sorrowful explanation. "I can work. But I don't want anyone to see them." Blue eyes sought red ones. "They look awful... don't they, Invader?"   
The Invader swallowed. "A little out-of-the-ordinary," he admitted. "Odd. Not awful." He looked away. "A Soldier beat you and broke your fingers." Zim purposely didn't make it a question; he already knew the answer.   
Jendai's soft "yes" was almost too quiet even for Zim to hear. He chewed his lip. "You obviously know by now how much I hate your Class, Zim," he muttered. "Although, I have nothing against you so far." He stood again, pacing the room slowly. "I've been away from Irk for fourteen years... fourteen goddamn long years. I don't know how the hell things are being run back home, but uh..." His back was to Zim. "I suppose if I can judge your generation of Soldiers by you, things have changed." The mangled fingers of his right hand twirled the star mobile idly. It's metal rods made a joyful tinkling sound that brought a smile to the mechanic's lips. The grin stayed as he turned back to Zim. "C'mon, Invader Zim. Let's go see what Mer wants us to do before we can get some food."   
He jumped off the bed, jogging up to where Jendai waited. "I am NOT eating any human food other than that sandwich thing," he stated, following the mechanic out the door. "It makes me sick."   
"Thanks," Jendai grinned broadly down at him. "I made that myself." The grin turned to one of embarrassment. "After the little... plate incident..."   
"No harm was done there. And when I become Emperor of this planet," Zim began, proudly tilting his chin upwards. "I shall make you my personal cook."   
Jendai gave a light laugh. "Oh what an honor!" he chuckled, resting a hand briefly on the Invader's shoulder as a gesture of goodwill. "From head mechanic to Imperial chef! Oh, I'll be the envy of the Tallests themselves!" Even Zim had to snicker at this. They passed by a room that had not been open prior to Zim's trip to find the mechanic. Shouts of anger, feminine anger, came from within. The two males peered in nervously, antennae twitching. What they saw almost caused them to fall over with barely contained hysteria.   
It was Merana's room, well-lit and, of course, decorated in white, amber and gold. The room's owner was there, yelling at the top of her lungs. GIR was also there, and it was the robot the Djemy was swearing at. GIR was dancing around, wearing what appeared to be make-up, a pair of women's underpants gracing its head and a bra draped around its metal frame like a dress. "Hi master!" it squealed, running up to Zim, who was holding his sides, desperately trying not to explode.   
"What... are you... doing, GIR?" he managed to squeak out.   
"I'm pretty!" This statement cause Jendai to burst out laughing. He fell over, robotic legs spasing out of control with his mirth. The jar didn't even faze him, he just kept on laughing insanely. GIR cocked its head. "I am! See!" It started dancing again, this time singing. "The best thing about being a woman is the prerogative to have a little fun and..." Zim went pale, then finally let himself go. Jendai gasped like a dying fish and then continued laughing. "Oh, oh, oh, go totally crazy-forget I'm a lady! Men's shirts--short skirts! Oh, oh, oh, really go wild-yeah, doin' it in style! Oh, oh, oh, get in the action-feel the attraction! Color my hair-do what I dare! Oh, oh, oh, I wanna be free-yeah, to feel the way I feel!" It turned to the hysterical Irkens. "Master! I feel like a woman!" They howled.   
Merana on the other hand, was not amused. "Where the hell did that thing learn that song?" she growled, hands clenched dangerously.   
"I... don't... know!" Zim gasped. The mechanic beside him had tears streaming down his face. "It... it just... listens to the... radio!"   
"Mmm-hmm..." Amber eyes flashed angrily. "Get my stuff off of it. Now." Their laughter cut off abruptly. Almost sullenly, they moved to fix what GIR had done wrong. Zim held it still while Jendai carefully pulled the underpants off and wiped the make-up from its face with his shirtsleeve. They stood guiltily before her after they'd finished. Merana paced in front of them, evidently deciding their punishment. "You two are gonna go weed the gardens for a while," she declared. "And are taking GIR with you. I want everything beautiful by dark. Now, go!" She ducked back into her room, slamming the door in three stunned faces.   
GIR danced before them as the two made their way to the back door, Jendai walking slightly ahead of Zim, an almost idiotic grin on his face. "What are you so happy about?" Zim asked finally. His curiosity was eating away at his sanity.   
The mechanic looked down at him, the idiot grin replaced by a sheepish one. He mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, "I touched her underpants," before looking off into the distance. "We gotta get to work or Mer won't let me feed us," he explained hastily. "C'mon. I'll show you the shed."   
Zim watched him walk off, slowly becoming even more bewildered. He'd first thought the Djemy was the most confusing being ever. But now he was being to think this Jendai Kaalae was. He chewed his lower lip nervously. "Are you gonna come?" Jendai called over his shoulder. "If not, hide outside and look busy." He turned to go, not seeming to care if he was followed by anyone other than GIR or not.   
Against his better judgment, Zim followed.   
(A/N#2: Oooo!! Romance! Jendai loves Merana! Where will this take them? And what will Zim think of Gardening? And what the hell did I do to frank... who cares! Chapter 5 coming!)   
(A/N#3: I had an idea for a sequal. It tells why Jendai is the way he is. Don't worry! There'll be Zim too! R&R and tell meeee what you think!) 


	5. Back to the Base and a Plea for help

Five  
Back To The Base and A Plea For Help  
  
The most interesting of smells was coming from the kitchen. It floated out of its pot, drifting into the dining room to snap the little Invader out of his half-doze. He'd been working non-stop alongside Jendai all day long in Merana's huge garden-which had turned out to be quite dangerous with all the streams and pools. To look on the bright side though, he'd learned valuable information about Earth's plant life. The duo had weeded, watered and picked vegetables for hours, the mechanic having to direct Zim's hasty work more than once. He'd been very patient, comparing Zim's struggles to his own. Both had splatters of mud or grass stains on their uniform or clothes. GIR, who had done nothing but run around insanely the whole time, was so filthy Merana had made it eat in the sink where it couldn't mess anything. It was annoying Jendai, who was busy using some of the things they'd picked to cook.  
Merana inhaled the smell deeply. She was the only one not covered in mud. "Wonder what he's cooking in there...?" A hand ran absently through silver-blonde hair, rings flashing in the overhead lights.   
She didn't have long to wait. Jendai entered, two bowls carried easily in his hands. He'd removed his gloves-as had Zim-for this occasion, to keep from contaminating the cooking with dirt and germs. A huge grin, a slightly devious grin, was plastered to his face as he set the food down before Zim and Merana. "Go on," he coaxed. "I made it from the stuff we picked today and some things I found in the cupboards." At their unusual looks, he laughed. "Go on! God, it's not poisoned! I swear!"  
Tentatively, Zim picked up the spoon he'd been given. The stuff was brown with little lumps in it. Every now and then there was some other red or green thing poking out. He dipped the spoon in, taking a hesitant taste of the steaming thing. It burned his tongue, not with heat, but with something else. With flavor. A rather nice flavor. He took a bigger bite; this time the heat did burn him slightly. It was wonderful! So... Irken! Jendai watched him practically inhale it with amusement. Merana stared bemusedly. It wasn't until he'd finished that he noticed their eyes on him. "That was quite good," Zim admitted, flushing a darker green slightly.   
"I can see that," Jendai chuckled. The Djemy just muttered something about oddball Irkens, going back to her food. "It's called chili. I just spice it up Irken-ish to make it more pleasing to both me and whoever else might drop by," he explained. He gave the Djemy a sly grin. "'Cept Mer doesn't like it as much."  
She stuck her tongue out at him. "Zim, shower now. You stink worse than that psycho Iron Chef over there," she said, her tone slightly mocking. She was most likely stiff miffed about the whole underpants incident. "The shower's in a room off of 'Dai's workroom. I assume you know how to work one?" He nodded, scurrying off. Faintly, GIR could be heard singing the song once more. "And take that damn robot with you!" Merana yelled over Irken laughter.  
"How soon do you want him gone?" Jendai asked after Zim had disappeared. He leaned back in his chair to study the ceiling, an apathetic look on his face.   
"It's not Zim I want gone," she explained irritably. "It's GIR! Gods, it was okay at first, then it started running around, beating its head." The Djemy toyed with the chili. "Are you sure you repaired it?"  
He nodded. "Every fried circuit and busted wire." A shrug. "Must be defective. God, I swear there was nothing in its head! Okay, so there was some change, a paperclip and a rubber ball, but nothing in the way of an AI chip. Well, there was a moose... a squeaky moose." He grinned devilishly. "That was fun. Uh, something that looked like bread or cake or something messed with the optics. I guess that thing keeps its goodies in its head."  
"Its insane."  
"Yeah," he sighed. "Wonder how Zim got a hold of it..." He shook his head. "Mother of Irk, he's short! Poor guy. Must have never heard the end of it in those hell-hole Soldier Academies." Jendai's antennae twitched back as he got up out of the chair. "I'm tired," he said in explanation. "Goin' to bed."  
Merana made a disagreeable sound through her nose. "Aren't you going to eat something, 'Dai?" When he shook his head, she groaned. "Jendai Kaalae, you can't start doing this again! I thought you promised you'd never do this anymore."  
"This is different," came the tired retort. "I'm not going to kill myself, all right? You gotta stop acting like every time I'm not hungry or can't sleep is me being depressed. Honestly, I'm just exhausted. I need sleep more than I need food. I'll eat in the morning."  
She was quiet for a long time. "Fine. Take your medicine and you can go."  
He came up behind her, sneaking his arms around her neck. "You aren't gonna baby me forever, are you?" he whispered teasingly.  
"I'll out-live you, Kaalie."  
"Kaalae."  
"Whatever. Go on, get some sleep."  
He left, robotic legs clicking. The kitchen was his first stop. Frowning, he scanned the cabinets for the right one. Finding it, his frown deepened as he searched for the correct bottle out of the hundreds of others stored on the same shelf. "Which ones you want me to take tonight?" he called, chewing his lower lip.  
"Just the anti-depressants and the painkillers, 'Dai," Merana called. "Bring the bottle of sleeping pills with you in case you can't sleep."  
Jendai only grunted in response. Selecting the proper bottles, he dug three pills out of one and two out of the other before settling them back down in their places. He popped the three into his mouth, swallowed, then downed the other pills. They scratched his throat but at the moment, he could care less. For a minute, his eyes blurred at their taste. Angrily, he focused them. Picking up the bottle of sleeping pills, he headed for his room to finally get some sleep. Painkillers could make you sleepy on their own. The sleeping pills were jammed into a pocket of his pants. He rather enjoyed the temporary peace in the hallway. Then, his antennae twitched at a sound coming from up ahead. Curious, he increased his pace. Zim was standing in the hallway, his uniform soaked with moisture, an equally drenched GIR beside him. The robot peeked out from under a towel, giggling. "I'm a ghoooooost," it said happily. Zim massaged his forehead in dismay. "I'm afraid I'm lost," the Invader muttered, looking up at him.   
Jendai half-smiled. "It's the one at the end of the hall, the open one," he pointed in the general direction. The Invader shot him a grateful look, heading for his room, dragging GIR behind him. "Night, Zim," he called, keeping the small grin. Zim saluted smartly and GIR waved. They both disappeared into the room.   
He sighed, heading into his workroom. He wasn't really tired, just needed some alone time. It was also high time he did some writing. For a moment, his old voot runner drew his attention. His fingers brushed it in absent thanks. Jendai collected the box and headed back to his own room, careful to check the hallway for a patrolling Djemy. Finally, locked away in privacy, he stripped off his shirt and gloves, laying them over his dresser, before settling down on the bed. His fingers trembled as he lifted the latch. All the old memories came flooding back when the top came off. Abruptly, he slammed it back down. No. He couldn't deal with this again. Not these nightmares. Not this pain. But... Grinding his teeth, he opened his box. The holograph capsules clinked musically against one another and the scraps of cloth rustled. Pulling out the journal, he dropped the lid quickly. Jendai grabbed a pencil from his night stand and began to write in slow, careful Irken.  
"It has been a while," he began. "I haven't honestly felt the need to say much these past years. Well, I guess there hasn't been another Irken here these past years, after Des died. I can't think somehow that I didn't care. Now, though, I feel a little remorseful about the whole thing. Damn, I hate irony. The one Irken who started this whole shitty mess is the one who ends up being an Invader and stuck with me. I'm almost glad OIDI failed. Shove that up your green ass, Des. See if you can strut then. There's another Soldier on this planet. Wow, my luck is impressive. His name is Zim. Personally, I don't find him as intolerable as every other Soldier I've known. He's different, somehow. Well, the obvious difference is his height. Hell, and I thought I was short! This guy's a midget. Maybe that's why he's not half-as-bad. I dunno. Apparently, he's been sent here to "invade" this planet as a part of Operation: Impending Doom II. I'm beginning to wonder if Kas and everyone's been lying to him... like they all lied to me. Okay, so they didn't exactly LIE to me. More like, Leeri twisted the truth and damn near drove me insane. Kas just broke the promise we both made to never become tall like those we hates. Heh, maybe I did too. I guess none of this really matters anymore. I'm healed, alive, and have a few reasons to live. Mer wants Zim and GIR-his psychotic li'l SIR-out of the house tomorrow, so I guess I'm driving into the city again. I've only known the little squirt twenty-four hours, but he kinda grows on you. Same with the SIR. Mer only wants him gone because GIR played around with her underpants. I suppose contacting Zim every now and then won't hurt... unless I get him killed. Damn, that seems to happen a lot."  
Jendai paused, tapping the pencil against the page. Sometimes he hated writing. It was so hard to get all he wanted to say down on the paper when he wanted it to. He looked up at the star mobile, watching one of the planets twirl happily on its string. "Irk..." he sighed, then continued writing.   
"I'm not really sure why I've suddenly gotten attached to the little guy. He's eccentric, overconfident... everything a perfect Soldier should be. It can be annoying. But... I suppose its his confidence you just have to admire. His courage too. I know what it's like to be short, no picnic. That's it. We're both short-well, I was short anyway. Still am mentally. Kindred spirits, I believe the term is called."  
He closed the journal, sliding it on the nightstand. His eyelids threatened to close. He left the lights on-they didn't bother him anyway, turned over without bothering to pull the blankets up, and crashed into dreamland. A few hours later, he was snoring, oblivious to the being that crept into his room. It carefully slid the blankets over him, brushing the tips of his antennae gently. With a moment's hesitation, it flicked off the lights and left to its own devices.   
GIR's joyous screeching woke Zim that morning. Groaning to himself, Zim lifted his head from where it had fallen the night before, glancing around for his robot. "GIR," he groaned. "I'm attempting to sleep. You're asinine screeches are not going to help me do so."  
Something pink was thrust in his face. "Look Master!" An insane giggle. Zim pulled his head back slightly to take in the full view of the object held up for his inspection. It was a pink slipper. A fuzzy, pastel pink slipper. He stared. "GIR...? Where did you get that?"  
The SIR unit hugged the footwear close, cuddling it like it was a doll. "It's a 'placement piggy cause Pig had to stay home when I went for a freezie!" it explained. "And I love it Master! Its name is Hobbes!"  
"And why is it called that?" Zim asked cautiously.   
It thought for a moment. "Cause after the Scary Monkey Show, there's the Angry Monkey Show and then there's more Scary Monkey and then there's this one called I-visble Man," GIR chirruped. "It has a human named Hobbes and he's got no hair!" It giggled hysterically. "But 'placement piggy has hair so its name is Hobbes too!"  
The Invader stared at his SIR. They both were silent. "GIR, did it occur to you that what you just said makes absolutely no sense whatsoever?" Zim finally said, dumbfounded. GIR smiled broadly, as if its master had just paid it a compliment. He sighed, trying to go back to sleep. Seeing its master turn over for more boring slumber, GIR jumped on Zim's back, singing the Doom Song to wake him. It only succeeded in being hit with a well-aimed pillow. This caused it to giggle some more and throw the pillow back at Zim. The Invader snarled, sitting up. "So it's a fight you want?" he shouted, heaving the pillow once again. GIR squealed in joy, ducking the shot by diving under the bed. Satisfied that his robot was tame again, Zim lay back down. The pillow smacked him in the head. "Pillow fiiiiiiiiiiight!" GIR shrieked, running around the room. Zim just stared.  
"What the hell?" someone asked from the doorway. GIR stopped running mid-step, falling over as it attempted to hold still. Its master blushed. "What a wake-up call..." Jendai murmured, rubbing his forehead sleepily. There were dark green circles under his eyes from a lack of sleep. "Zim, did you know it's four o'clock in the goddamn morning?" he asked, sounding more amused than irritated. "Isn't there anything that holds that thing's attention for more than a minute? My room's right down the hall and I can hear it clear as anything."  
"Mother of Irk, I'm sorry!" Zim cringed, though he wasn't being scolded. "It woke me up a few minutes ago and I've been trying to make it be silent since."  
His apologies were waved off. "Just tell me what makes it... I don't know, sane?"  
"Television," he answered. "The Scary Monkey Show."   
Jendai nodded once, thinking this over. "C'mon GIR," he ordered. "Let's go watch some Scary Monkey cause I need sleep and so does your master."  
The robot squealed happily, running off to watch some TV. Jendai grinned, looking fatigued. "See you in a few hours Zim," he called, starting to close the door. "Mer says you have to go back to your base in the AM."  
Zim couldn't answer, he'd already fallen back asleep.   
  
"You put the beer in the coconut and drink it all up!" sang Jendai. His mood was obviously better than when Zim had seen him last. Their little group was outside, watching the mechanic give "his" pickup a short once-over before he took Zim back into the city. Apparently, the human vehicle broke down about once every twenty-four hours, causing Jendai to tune it up before every drive he took. The only other human vehicle Merana owned was a huge, white van, a van that would have been too conspicuous pulling up to Zim's base. She stood beside the disguised Invader and SIR, watching a disguised Jendai's head vanish into the engine. His voice echoed from the interior. "You put the beer in the coconut and drink it all up! You put the beer in the coconut and throw the can away!" he finished, a triumphant grin on his "human" face. The Irken practically skipped over to where they stood, scooping up Merana and swinging her around in a circle. She laughed. "I figured it out!" he cheered. "It ain't gonna break down no more!"  
Another laugh, soft, tinkling and musical. "Put me down, you green idiot!"  
"Only cause Zim's here." He set her down anyway. "You ready?" Jendai asked the Invader. "It's about an hour's drive into town."  
Zim approached the car, head held high. He saluted. "Yes sir!" GIR mimicked him, giggling.   
Their actions earned them an eye-roll. "Hop in."   
He turned before doing so, wanting to thank the Djemy. "Thank you for all you have done for me, Merana Sali," he said gallantly. "I hope to uphold the old Irken alliance with you."  
She knelt down, took his hand and kissed it. "I'll do my part," she grinned. "Bye Zimmy." Merana suddenly wrapped her arms around him, squeezing. "Keep in contact, all right?" She released him.   
Zim nodded, stunned, then scampered over to the pick-up, using GIR as a step stool to enter the cab. Once he was seated, GIR jumped in beside him, taking its seat beside its master. "Hobbes" was in its lap. Jendai slid into the driver's seat, humming the song about beer and a coconut. He slid a metal object into a slit beside the steering wheel, and turned it to start the engine. It coughed sickly for a moment, then burst to life with a roar that startled even the mechanic. "Damn!" he shouted. "I guess I really DID fix this thing!" He pulled a switch, backing the bulky vehicle out of the driveway.   
In a matter of minutes, they were on a highway. Jendai was nervous. Zim could tell by the way he drummed his long fingers against the wheel, chewing his lip as if it were something edible. The mechanic's driving was becoming slightly erratic. A few humans leaned out their windows and cursed at him, holding their middle fingers up in what Zim guessed was a rude gesture. Jendai did it right back at them. "Maybe some human music would help?" the Invader suggested.   
"Right," Jendai agreed, switching on the radio. A bubbly, female human's voice shouted, "Oops I did it again!" out at them. Jendai yelped in horror, changing the channel quickly. "Brittney Spears," he explained, making a disagreeable face. "Worst human on the face of the planet."   
The next station was incredibly hard to understand. GIR jumped up, singing along. "I like big butts and I do not lie! You other brothers can't deny, that when a girl walks in with an itty-bitty waist and a round thing in your face you get-" the robot stopped singing as Jendai changed the station yet again. "Awww," it complained. "I like the butt butt song..."  
"Live with it," the driver muttered, flicking the knobs. He grinned broadly at the new song. "You know this one, Invader?" he asked. The volume turned up. "Now that I think about it, this one kinda reminds me of you, Zim."  
He had heard it before. In some horridly inaccurate human movie. But, the music was enjoyable. "Yes, I heard it in movie," he answered.   
"I'm in over my head!"  
Jendai cranked the volume, flicking on the knob for more bass. The entire cab rocked with music. He sang along, loud and in perfect tune. Zim suddenly found himself joining in.  
"They wanna try and build me up  
So they can tear me down!  
I wish that I could be back there,  
But I'm right here right now!  
They've taken everything that I've had to give them!  
They say it's over but,  
Man I'm still here livin!  
I don't know what to do.  
I think that maybe..."  
"Sing it Zim!" Jendai cheered, quieting for Zim's solo. GIR danced gleefully on the dashboard. The Invader stood, planting one foot on the dash and one on the seat while using "Hobbes" as a microphone.   
"I'm in over my head!  
Stuck in the red,  
Something they said,  
Makes me think that I'm in over my head!  
Over my head!  
Over my head!"  
GIR made air guitar motions, head banging and not paying the slightest attention to anything other than his dance. Zim, grinning like an idiot, pointed the "microphone at Jendai, making him sing on his own.   
"I have got to get away from here  
And it couldn't be too soon!  
Cause I see the stars when you're with me  
Like rockets to the moon!  
You take me everywhere that I've never been and  
Shown me the meaning of what life had to give me.  
I don't know what to say  
I think that maybe..."  
All three sang now, aided only by the human band over the airwaves.  
"I'm in over my head!  
Lying in her bed  
Something she said,  
Makes me think that...  
I'm in over my head!  
Over my head!  
Over my head!  
I'm in over my head,  
I'm in over my head  
I'm in over my head!  
The song died away. Jendai chuckled to himself, turning the volume down and the bass off. "I haven't sung like that in a while," he said, still grinning. "Thanks Invader."  
"I doubt I have ever been able to sing before now," the other Irken replied. "It was most enjoyable."  
GIR bounced back into the seat, scooping up Hobbes once more. The drive was mostly uneventful, silence between the two aliens broken only by various human songs they could tolerate. In fact, Zim was almost disappointed when the skyscrapers of the human city loomed in sight. Jendai gave about five times more fingers to other drivers once they entered the city limits. "Human drivers are all dumb asses," was his only explanation Zim would accept. The number of curses he uttered increased tenfold when he discovered Zim was a horrible navigator from the passenger seat. "How the hell did you survive as a Soldier if you can't navigate worth jack shit?" he muttered darkly.  
It was only after the intervention of the sight of the house that they were able to make it back to Zim's base. Jendai pulled up, eyeing it suspiciously. "I don't see that Dib human," he muttered, scanning the sidewalk in both directions. "I think you're safe."  
Both Invader and SIR climbed out of the cab. "Thank you for all the assistance, Jendai," Zim called up. "If you ever need the assistance of an Invader..."  
Jendai grinned. "I'll contact you," he finished. "Good luck with your mission, Invader Zim." The grin disappeared. "Oh, and when you contact your superiors next, tell 'em I say hello." He waved, reaching over to pull the door shut. "Bye Zim."  
The rusty pickup sped off, leaving a cloud of exhaust in its wake. Zim stood for a while, watching it drive off. He wondered why Jendai would want him to tell the Tallest hello. Wasn't he banished? Something told him there was a lot about this mechanic he would never understand. "Come GIR," he ordered, marching into his base. It would probably be dusty from his absence. "We have much cleaning to do. No doubt the germs have regrouped. I must replace the meat in the proper places to repel them..." He noticed GIR had wandered off to play with a bit of foil blowing in the wind. With a sigh, Zim left to attend to his business, alone as usual. An Invader needed no one. Plus, his face had begun to ache. A long sleep in the regeneration pods in his lab's medical bay would take care of that in no time. He headed inside, carefully categorizing the items on his to-do list. There was skool tomorrow.  
He had a mission to complete.  
  
Skool. Mother of Irk. It was such a waste of his valuable time.   
Six weeks after Dib's attack. Six weeks after meeting the only other Irken on this planet. He blew a stray strand from his wig out of his face. Life had returned to normal, Dib had continued with his threats and he with his plots. He'd almost forgotten about the incident. But, today, Zim couldn't stop thinking about his venture. He couldn't shake off this strange feeling of dread that had fallen over him during the night. At first, he'd thought it was just Dib trying to kill him again, but as time wore on, he felt it centered more and more around the oddball Irken mechanic and the last Djemy. When would Bitters shut up? Angrily, he broke a pencil in two. There was no outlet for the frustration that stemmed from this feeling of dread he couldn't seem to shake.   
He tried to delve into the memory of Dib's facial expression when he'd entered the classroom after the incident. The human had stuttered, shocked that Zim had actually survived both the tazer and the fall of fifty feet into the river. His face had become paler than normal, the Invader recalled with a laugh.   
"Zim, report to the attendance office. Your guardian is here to pick you up," the PA system broke into Ms. Bitters' lecture. "Do it now."  
Bemused, Zim stood, waiting for permission from the snake-human hybrid to leave. "She" nodded to him, then continued terrifying the human children with her tales of horrific human history. Dib cast him a suspicious look before bending over his paper to begin a forgery note from his father to release himself from class, obviously thinking Zim was up to something and wanting to trail him. The Invader marched out of the room; more confused than the human stinkbeast was over this event. It stank in the halls. Humans were so dirty! Strange noises echoed all around, shadows gliding evilly on the ceiling. He hurried onwards to the offices. Unfortunately, he had to jump to reach the knob. Blast humans and their tallness! Once inside, he stood, stunned, at who was waiting for him beside the main desk.   
"Hello, Zim."  
Something had happened. He knew it. "Are you all right?" he asked quickly. "Why are you here?"  
"We need to talk. Privately."  
The woman behind the desk pointed towards one of the other offices. "There's no one in that one, sir. You can lock the door and nobody will disturb the two of you." She smiled at them. "I do hope everything will be okay."  
Zim didn't reply, just headed into the office, locking the door behind the two of them. Next, he shut the blinds over all the windows, providing utmost levels of privacy for the two. "Okay, we're alone," he said, folding his arms. "Why are you here?"  
Jendai Kaalae turned off the hologram, sinking to the floor exhaustedly. At his appearance, Zim took a step back. There was a two-inch cut running from the corner of his mouth downwards. Dried blood had turned dark green over its surface. One of his eyes was swollen, bruised from a blow. Another bruise had been inflicted on the opposite side of his head, oblong in shape. The other eye had a dark circle under it and was sunken in with emotions. He looked beaten. Before he spoke, he jutted out his lower lip to chew it, accidentally showing the deep teeth marks from pervious worry. "They came last night," he murmured. "I don't remember how many exactly. Everything is hazy. More than four, at least. I was in my workroom, trying to fix my voot runner. I heard Mer open the door. She screamed. There were human voices. I got up, turned on the hologram and went to help her. She was on the floor, her legs were broken. I don't know how that bastard found enough proof to convince those other sons of bitches to raid the house, but he damn well did. I tried to help her. They... they ganged up on me." His head fell into his hands, trying to hide the trembling. "It was like being back on Irk all over again. Soldiers... They knocked me out. When I woke up, Mer was gone. So were her maps and all her stuff. They left the workroom alone... I guess I locked it or something." When he looked up again, Zim could see the horror and tears in his blue eyes. "The humans... The humans have Merana."  
The Invader stood, scared, for a while. Those blue eyes, those terrified, too-old eyes stared right into him. Slowly, he approached the other Irken, feeling the eyes never leave him. Jendai finally looked away, shoulders shaking. "Goddamn it, Zim," he murmured. "They're going to kill her! Oh shit, they're going to kill her... I know it. They're going to kill her, damn it and there's no way in hell I can do anything about it." He was crying. Sobbing helplessly. "Why didn't I bring a gun? Why didn't I take a goddamn, piece of shit gun?!"   
One gloved hand placed itself on the mechanic's trembling shoulder. "They will not kill her, Jendai Kaalae," Zim said flatly. The tall Irken's antennae pricked up. "You will stop them. If there is one thing I have learned about you Students from yourself, it is that you are a proud Class that, once they have a goal in sight, will not give up until they have achieved it."  
The blue eyes brightened. "How?" he asked, monotone. When Zim didn't answer, he continued. "They work for the human government, which is situated on the east coast of this continent. If I go there, then it's likely we'll find where Merana is." His abused lip was chewed again. "I can't do this on my own," Jendai said quietly.   
"I will come with you," Zim agreed. "Perhaps some of my weapons may be of use."  
The larger gloved hand grasped the small one. "Ready for a road trip?" Jendai asked, raising a non-existent eyebrow.   
  
(I don't own "Over my head." Lit does. Jendai and Merana are mine. Now prepare for the horror that is a road trip with GIR! Oh! I don't own Hobbes or the I-man either. Invisible Man rocks! Darien is sooooo hot..)  
(Irkens: O_o;;) 


	6. Road Trip Notes and Rage of The Student

Finally! Sorry this took so long! Okay, I'm making a lot of this stuff in the chapter up. I dunno what the Pentagon looks like inside, and I'm aware they aren't doing tours anymore, but this is the IZ world people! Things are different there, so... just read it!  
  
  
Six  
Road Trip Notes and Rage of The Student  
  
There was no humming, no music, nothing but the utmost seriousness at the base of Invader Zim later that evening. Zim's voot cruiser was too small to carry both Irkens and a Djemy, so Jendai had brought the large, white van-instead of the pickup. Its windows were heavily tinted, letting the drivers see clearly while obscuring the view from outside, allowing them to travel without their disguises. The back had a bed one could pull out for sleeping on the road, as well as cupboards and shelves installed for the storage of anything you needed for a long trip. Most of them had already been loaded with the Djemy's that had not been taken. Zim supplied some of the items that had been confiscated. Mainly, they were weapons and fuel cells, along with repair tools. He assumed Jendai had medical units already in the van, and neglected to bring any. Extra paste was collected for the Irken duo in case of rain. He also brought along his wig, contacts, germ spray, microgoggles, and a few other items necessary to an Invader's survival. The one thing he was unsure of what to do with was GIR. Jendai seemed to be having a hard enough time dealing with the capture of Merana, without GIR's obnoxious chatter. If he left it alone, the base would be gone in a manner of hours. But if he brought it along...  
"Bring it," Jendai snapped, noting his hesitation. His disguise was off, showing the marks from his beating and the robotic legs on the gas and break pedals. "We need to get going. They have a twenty-four hour head start."   
"YAY!" GIR squealed. "Road trip!" It scrambled into the back, Hobbes in one hand, its squeaky moose in the other. More than somewhat reluctantly, Zim climbed into the passenger side, snapping at GIR to be quiet. Once he was strapped in, Jendai started the engine and headed for the highway.  
There was silence between all three for an hour, GIR playing with its moose, Zim staring out the window and Jendai concentrating on the highway before him. Few human vehicles graced the roadway. The drive would have been pleasant if not for the overwhelming silence. It was deafening, roaring through sensitive hearing organs to blind the sense into nothingness. Jendai chewed his lip. "We have enough cash to last for the drive there," he said finally. "What we're going to do about the way home, I don't know. Mer always has a plan. She'll know. It should take a week, round trip, tops. We have to get her back, Zim." He sighed heavily, switching on some quiet music. "Get some sleep. You'll need all your sanity for what we have to do."  
The Invader curled into a ball in his seat. This wasn't his first rescue mission. Several of the other Soldiers in his unit had been taken prisoner once, on a planet trying to break off from the Empire. No one had been killed, thanks to the quick action of the their leader. Unfortunately, he wasn't so sure about the outcome of this mission, despite Jendai's utmost confidence in his abilities as a fighter. There were so many humans, and only two of them. Maybe that was the reason why the mechanic had asked him along. Even out the odds a bit. Still... Was it possible to overcome these chances? Mother of Irk, he supposed he'd had worse than this thrown at him.   
He was a Soldier.   
Soldiers didn't calculate the odds. That was for Students and Students alone. Regrettably, Jendai was too busy worrying about the Djemy to concentrate on the odds. Zim hadn't known an Irken in his life with this much devotion to one other than their superiors. His unit's leader had only gone to rescue the others because of the glory it would give him for doing so. Students were already different in so many other ways, so why not their devotion to their own kind as well? And, if they were devoted to their own kind, then why not other species as well? He wondered, briefly, if there was some ulterior motive behind Jendai's actions. Zim knew very well that Students loved one another. But, interspecies love? He shook his head slightly. Love was a somewhat alien emotion to a Soldier. He sighed, trying to clear his mind. His mission. What was he going to do about his mission? He frowned. Zim supposed it wasn't too terrible to do something like this, as long as it didn't interfere with his mission for too long. One mustn't disobey the Tallest. All these thoughts clouded his mind again. Zim forced them out. Once the Earth's sun rose, he'd see everything more clearly. Yes, once the sun rose, this nightmare would be over and he'd be back in his lab, putting on his disguise for Skool.   
The sun did rise, but the nightmare did not end. In fact, it got worse.  
GIR had begun to sing the Doom Song.  
The two Irkens allowed the annoyance for hours, trading headphones Jendai had brought to drown out the sound, plugging them into the radio. Zim graciously gave Jendai longer turns, mostly because he was the one driving and because the Invader was more or less immune to the song. If the tall Irken noticed, he was too upset to say anything. During Zim's turns with the headphones, his eyes twitched constantly, sometimes hiding the nearly black circles under them. His injuries looked considerably better-save his lip. "You're going to chew that off, you know," Zim mumbled, removing the headphones from their place at the base of his antennae. "You must have something else you can chew on."  
Surprised, Jendai looked down at his lower lip briefly. His eyes widened at the amount of raw flesh and rose-colored blood. He stopped abruptly, looking around for something. "Hand me that silver strip," he ordered. Zim picked it up, handed it to him and watched Jendai pop it in his mouth after unwrapping it. "Gum," the mechanic explained simply. "Human candy thing that you chew; you don't swallow the gum, but you can swallow the juice it makes. Works and tastes better than a lip."   
Zim took a piece from the pile in the opened glove compartment. He chewed, testing the taste. It was fruity. "Not bad," he commented. Then he removed the headphones and handed them firmly to Jendai. Before the tall Irken could refuse, Zim explained his actions. "I'm unaffected by the song by now," he said. "You think this is bad, try six months of it."  
Instead of his usual chuckle, Jendai snorted, sounding slightly impressed. Grudgingly, he took the headphones. Except for the sound of the Doom Song, the van was silent for the next few hours, the bleakness of the open road dominating the view. A few farms dotted the country, black forms of mountains dominating the horizon. There were barely any cars out, which struck Zim as odd. Perhaps this wasn't a main highway. He chewed his gum harder, trying to drown out the sound of GIR's singing. The sky was black with clouds, yet no rain had fallen on the planet recently. This would have been so much easier with his voot cruiser. But that would have been far too obvious. He was getting tired of simply sitting, watching the scenery flash by. "I should have brought some plans..." he muttered, bored.   
GIR sang on.  
Night fell, and with it came the rain. Despite the layers of paste both had applied prior to the trip and the protection of the van, both Irkens shuddered as the water poured down. Twitched in fear as the thunder boomed across the sky like some gong tolling the doom for the two aliens. Blinked in loathing as lightning streaked through the night, shining ominously inside the van. When the coming of the lightning, GIR had become silent, terrified. Canals of water graced the windshield, despite the wipers frantic efforts. Jendai's eyes refused to stop spasing. "Need a break," he breathed. Tense blue eyes scanned the roadways for a turnoff. "Starved." The twitch disappeared as he spotted one. "This isn't gonna be an ideal place," Jendai apologized. "But we need supplies. And some dinner. You gotta be hungry Zim."  
The Invader nodded. "Can I have cupcakes?" GIR cooed from where it sat on the back of his seat. It was already dressed in its dog costume.   
"If you don't sing that goddamn song anymore," Jendai retorted, smoothly making the turn. Now the lights from a truck stop were visible through the downpour. A gas station, store and restaurant. Huge semis were lined up in front of each building, their drivers inside enjoying the warmth and the company of their fellow truckers. The van was guided into an open spot under the overhang of the gas station, allowing the occupants to slide/turn on their disguises before exiting. An attendant approached them. "Fill it up," Jendai ordered. "Regular. We'll be back in an hour or so." He looked down at Zim. "C'mon, we need stuff." The Invader followed, dragging GIR along on its leash.   
It stank in the store, which was expected. Jendai wandered off to collect what he needed, leaving Zim to pick up cupcakes to keep GIR occupied. "Can I have cupcakes and a freezie, Master?" the robot asked. "I won't sing the Doom Song anymore." It saluted in promise.   
Zim sighed. "Fine," he said. "Only if you don't sing the Doom Song for the rest of the trip. If you do, I will be forced to throw your cupcakes out the window." He scanned the shelves for the cupcakes. "Lessee... Ho-Hoes... Dingdongs... Twinkies..." Zim frowned. "What is with these hUuuumans and their names for food?" he growled. After a while, he gave up. "Geh! You pick one, GIR."  
"Okeydokey!" GIR skipped up to the shelf and pulled off a bag of jellybeans. "I want these!" it cooed with joy. "I like Jelly Belly's!"  
"I thought you wanted cupcakes..." Zim muttered, bemused.   
It froze. "Now I want Beans!" GIR said as if the answer were obvious. "There's more of them in the baggy so they stay longer! Can I get my freezie now?"  
"Yes..." He watched it skip away, homing in on the place where the brainfreezie machine was kept. Would he ever begin to understand that thing? Was it just that GIR was far too advanced for even the great Invader's brain to comprehend? Perhaps it was just that whenever GIR's advanced properties turned on, Zim was just too tired to appreciate them. He sighed again, following his robot slave. Once again, it was having problems reaching the machine. Once again, Zim climbed on its head to get the freezie. The whole operation gave the Irken a feeling of deja vu. He glanced over his shoulder to check for Dib, only to come face to face with a brown paper bag. Zim almost fell from his perch on GIR's head. "Whoa!" A hand reached down to steady him. "Easy, Invader," Jendai laughed. "Did I scare you?"  
"No." He climbed down, handing GIR its freezie. "Should we trade money for these supplies?" he asked.  
"Trade money...? Oh, pay! Yeah, c'mon." Jendai led the way to the counter, shifting the weight of the sack to his other arm. He set the sack down, placing the freezie and the bag of jellybeans beside it. Briefly, he spoke with the cashier, then collected the supplies and returned to where the Invader stood. "Let's head out."  
GIR kept its promise not to sing. It ate its jellybeans and drank its freezie, then resorted to watching the lightning flash across the sky. Zim busied himself with putting the things away in the cupboards. Ketchup, bread, shredded lettuce, cookies, and some sort of human alcohol. For a moment, he studied the drink. Then, with a shrug, placed it in the correct place and grabbed two packages of cookies before returning to his seat for the duration of the drive. One, he handed to Jendai; the other was kept for himself with a few doled out to a begging GIR.  
  
"That's where the human government keeps its secrets?" Zim asked, incredulous. "Right out in the open where something could just walk right in and take them? That thing is so gigantic it practically screams 'Military Secrets Inside!' How stupid are these pitiful stink monkeys?"  
Jendai looked out the window at the large, pentagonal building they were driving past. After trying days on the road, the Irkens were at their destination. "Merana's in there," he murmured. "Security's going to be tight. I suggest we separate." At Zim's disbelieving scoff, he continued. "If one of us can get to wherever they're keeping her, they can tell the other where she is. Or if you stumble on a computer of sorts..." He grinned. "We can have fun." He drove a few blocks away, found a parking space, and turned off the van. Both donned their disguises. "Here GIR," the mechanic called, tossing a cube with many different colored squares on it to the robot. "It's called a Rubix Cube. If you can get all the colors lined up by the time we get back, we'll buy you some tacos or cupcakes or whatever." GIR squealed, delighted with its new toy. "We're out of here," Jendai said. They opened their doors, jumping out in unison.   
Streets were crossed, human drivers yelled at, curses shouted, but in the end, they made it to the government building. With a nod, they separated. Zim found himself facing a high fence. The bars were spaced too close together for a human, not too close for the smallest Irken Invader. Finally, a chance to put his Invader skills to work! Carefully, he slipped through the fence, antennae alert beneath his wig for any primitive alarms. If this were an Irken facility, he'd have been caught for a long time now. For once he was glad of the pathetic human technology. Their immature security might be the thing that would save the Djemy's life. Cautiously, he darted across the grass, taking advantage of every bit of cover as he had been taught in his Academy. Bushes lined the first floor of the building. Such décor was exactly what he needed. He darted into the cover, pausing for a quick breath only when he was sure he was securely hidden.   
Now which way?   
To the left was Jendai's path. To the right was... something else. The Soldier ducked to his right, careful not to let the bushes rustle, lest a patrol hear his movements. It took a great deal of concentration. There had to be an entrance somewhere. Every so often, he paused, removed his wig and listened. So far, no one was following him. His superb Invader skills were paying off! Not even the egotistic humans could hold anything to him, the one who had been chosen for this very dangerous mission. Okay, so he'd ruined OID I... but he was making up for it. Invader Zim would show them.   
He was so wrapped up in his gloating that he almost failed to notice the ventilation shaft that appeared beside him. There was always a shaft; that was the first rule of his training. Other species were always stupid enough to leave such a space open. Irkens made sure never to leave vents open, that way their strongholds could be even more impenetrable. Falling to his knees, Zim inspected the opening. Just barely big enough for him to squeeze through. Unfortunately, he would be crawling on his hands and knees through all the filth and there was a tightly sealed grate over it. Nothing an Invader couldn't handle. His robotic legs emerged, forming into a square shape at his gesture. From their tips came lazer-like beams designed to slice through whatever their owner told them to. One, quick blast later, the grate fell to the ground with a soft thud. Dust puffed out, making him cough. With a shudder, the Invader began his gruesome task, snarling. Stupid filthy germs, everywhere. His antennae twitched. Slowly, he peeked around the bushes, locating the source of the noise. Humans were lined up, waiting to enter the building. He laughed. How stupid were they? This was a highly guarded military facility! Did they think they were just going to stroll through and take a tour of such a place?  
Shrugging his shoulders at the stupidity of humans, Zim squeezed through the vent, wincing as his back pod snagged on the rough metal. A moment of tugging freed him. The vent was cool under his gloves, although the dust clogged his mouth and throat. It finally got so bad that Zim activated the breathing bubble designed for Invaders fighting in space or places where the atmosphere was hostile. This was certainly a hostile atmosphere. It was dark inside, no light penetrating even through other grates. Cold also enveloped him. The shaft creaked with every move he made. It made him nervous.  
A particularly loud creak caused the Invader to freeze. Every muscle in his body was tensed, waiting to see if the metal would cave beneath his little frame. After a moment, he sighed, relaxing. It would not cave. Daringly, he inched forward, a bold grin showing his teeth to the world. Ah, the bliss of being an Invader, the highest rank of all Soldiers. None were as smart, as agile, as graceful, as completely competent as an Invader was. No one else could have navigated this treacherous ventilation shaft as easily. "Invaders are utterly supreme," he snickered to himself before the new section of the shaft disintegrated beneath him, sending him plummeting to the floor.  
He landed in the seat of what appeared to be a miniature car. Unfortunately, in response to the jar of his landing, the mini-car sped forward. Zim yelped, grasping the steering wheel. He was in a long hallway of some kind. A long hallway with humans. They shouted curses at him, but were unable to catch the speeding vehicle. Zim cackled with glee as they vanished behind him. Irkens were superior! The greatest species in the universe! "Stupid human-huh!?" he squeaked as he spotted other mini-cars behind him. And they were gaining. He rounded a corner, trying to lose them. There had to be a way to speed the car up! His mind dredged up the memory of Jendai's robotic legs working the peddles of his van to increase or decrease the vehicle's speed. It was time for something daring. Out came the lower pair of legs, these hopefully out of sight. They slid down to the peddles, pushing the larger one experimentally.   
The car jerked to a stop. He snarled in frustration and pushed the smaller one. His getaway craft sped forward again, leaving the humans behind. They were heavier, which impaired their cars' maximum velocity, whereas the Irken was small, giving him the greater speed in theory. This was part of the reason the race was one of the most known and most feared. Their small, agile crafts alone could cause a substantial amount of damage to almost anything while they saved their larger, bulkier ships for more defensive tactics and transportation. The galactic superpowers had laughed at the Irkens' "backwards" method of warfare-until their planets laid in ruin. A door opened ahead of him, two humans starting to exit. The Invader headed in a straight line for the opening. Barely before the car made impact, the humans jumped out of the way, trying to save themselves from harm. Even the small car tore the doorframe from its "secure" wooden mounting. Zim looked back with distain. He would hate to see what his voot cruiser would do to a human building... The Invader had no time to think further on the subject, as the human pursuers were close behind him. Laughing manically, he steered the car through more walls, failing to notice the horrified looks of the humans within the rooms. This was almost better than the Conqueror876, the giant mech he'd driven in Impending Doom I. Well... almost.  
He burst through several more doors, feeling the car shudder with each blow. Zim wondered how much more of the beating the car could take before it was destroyed. Better use it while he could! Zim cackled insanely. More humans were following him now, chasing him with anything they could find, all the while shouting at him to stop. It was time to put his diversion plan into effect! Diversions were his specialty! A grim, almost crazed smile took its place over Zim's lips. Once he destroyed this car, he could go find Jendai while the humans were sufficiently distracted by the explosion. Now, all he had to do was find the right wall...  
There! Directly in his path was a wall with a large map on it. Destroying this would most likely cause great panic among the humans, as maps were usually of importance to any race. About two yards away from the map was a door leading out into a large hallway with many probable hiding places for a tiny Invader. He kept one leg on the gas, tensing his body to jump before the impact could harm him in any way. Seconds before the car smashed headlong, he jumped free, hoping to the Mother of Irk he'd get far enough away in case there was a large explosion. The ground met his face, the hard carpet scratching his green skin. He rolled expertly, feeling the heat of a small blast singe his uniform. Zim kept rolling. He didn't want to be seen escaping.   
Something heavy stopped him from continuing on his rolling path. Zim's pulse raced. He'd been discovered! Cautiously, he looked up, wanting to meet this human face to face, without fear and without hesitation. "Great job Zim," the something said, a slight sarcastic tone to its voice. "I think you passed your last test to become an Invader."  
He blinked, uncurling. "Jendai!" Zim squeaked. "How did you get in!?" It was then he noticed the large group of humans milling around the hallway, listening to another human explain the use of the room they were currently in.   
"I followed the tour," Jendai said simply, smiling. "It was easier than hijacking a golf cart. And you won't believe the stuff they're showing us! The room we're looking for should be next. Come on." He began to walk away, pretending not to watch Zim follow him. He knew he'd humiliated the Invader. That hadn't been his intent but... well, you took your laughs where you could get them, he supposed. Just as long as the laughs didn't involve beatings... Shrugging the thought off, the mechanic waited for Zim to catch up before resuming his place at the back of the tour group.   
They wound through more hallways, not paying attention to what the human was saying. Finally, Jendai grabbed Zim, backing into an archway where no one could see them, eyes alert for a spy. "This is where we need to be," he explained. "There's going to be security cameras, but we're in too deep of shadows to be seen." He grinned. "Okay, we need to stay out of sight until the time is right. All we have to do is wait until the human who owns this office comes in and we can question them..." An evil look crossed his face.   
"Where are we?" Zim asked in an equally hushed tone. He was shoved gently back into the shadows. Jendai backed up with him, his pulse beating so loud Zim thought even the half-deaf humans could hear it flowing through the other Irken's veins. After a moment, the tour left the room, their footsteps echoing down the long, winding corridors. Both breathed a sigh of absolute relief.   
"We're in the office of..." Jendai's eyes rolled back as he searched his memory. "Some human who's called the... 'Secretary of Defense' or something. Some high-ranking military human." He gave an unconcerned shrug. "I've seen him on the TV. He's fat, slow and not too bright. Couple of healthy Irkens, we won't have any trouble getting information from him." One hand flexed into a fist, unconsciously. He settled down against the wall to wait, Zim, drawing his knees to his chest, sitting beside him.   
  
They were rewarded for their patience when darkness had fallen. Each Irken was invisible, save their glowing eyes, which were hidden behind disguises. A fat human walked in, muttering to himself about some incompetence, some idiocy of his fellow politicians. Without a word, they removed their disguises, revealing two pairs of shining Irken eyes, one blue and hard, the other red and determined. Silently, they emerged from the shadows. They didn't care who saw them now, no human would believe their eyes if they were paying attention to the tapes anyway. Zim's blaster safety clicked off, the sound barely noticeable in the large room. Even then, the human whirled to face them, coming face to face with a pissed off, 5'7" male, blue-eyed Irken mechanic, whose robotic legs were splayed in a defiant fighting stance. "Hello," Jendai Kaalae purred dangerously. Zim jumped up on the desk behind the human, brandishing his weapon. The Invader didn't have the physical prowess-compared to humans-that Jendai did, and looked far less imposing weaponless. "I heard you picked up an 'alien' a few days ago." His antennae brushed each other. "Where is she?"  
The human paled, stammering. Before he could speak, Jendai had him by the collar of his shirt and had slammed him down on the desk. Zim stood by, never moving the blaster. "Pathetic human!" the Soldier snapped. "Did you not hear the question!?" He moved the blaster closer to the human's greasy face. "Answer him or else you will be killed!" Jendai tightened his grip for further emphasis.  
"God, I don't know!" the human wailed. "Don't kill me! I swear to god I don't know anything!"  
"Liar!" Jendai shouted, trembling with barely leashed fury. "LIAR!" In a single, liquid motion, the human was thrown against the fall. Black-gloved hands supported him a full foot above the floor. Jendai drew back, striking him with horrific force until his neck went slack. Violently, Jendai threw him to the floor, his body making a dull, hollow thud with the impact. The Student's chest heaved, his hands shook, and a primal snarl twisted his olive-green face into a mask of legendary evil. In the semi-darkness, his blue eyes were the only things visible. He was like a silhouette with living, hating, murdering eyes. This new side almost scared Zim. He loomed over the cowering human, one robotic leg poised for the killing strike over his throat, the rest arched threateningly. "I will ask you one more time, you lying sonofabitch, asshole," he hissed. "Where the hell is Merana Sali!?"  
This time the human chose to comply. "We took her to... to Sector 45... Old base... up on North Rise... disguised as an animal shelter..." he gasped as Jendai's leg put more pressure on his jugular. A bright point of crimson welled up from the spot. "They want to... perform an autopsy of her..."  
"Son of a bitch. She's dead?" The words were softly spoken, yet held a scream of anger. Zim swallowed heavily, readying the blaster in case the human answered "yes."  
"N-n-No!" he whimpered. "They were going to use her as bait to get you!"  
Zim's eyes narrowed. "How do you know that, stinkbeast?" he sneered.   
"They told me..." The man had gone gray. "They told me that a green alien was the one they were looking for... And that if... if they had her, you would follow and they could capture you too..."  
Jendai cursed and grabbed the blaster from Zim, silently clicking the setting to stun. The human didn't notice. He was too focused on his fate. "If you even think about sounding the alarm after we're gone," the mechanic hissed, eyes flashing maliciously. "we will hunt you down like an animal and annihilate you down to your very last cell." The blaster swung, aiming between the human's fearful brown eyes. "Say good-bye, human bastard." Lips pulled back in the nightmare grimace, he pulled the trigger, despite the pitiful scream of the human. No sound came from the blaster. No wound emerged on the ashen forehead. Yet the human fell limp just the same. Calmly, the Irkens left the room, taking their new knowledge and their weapon with them.  
From the control room, several humans watched the display with growing smirks on their usually blank faces. One froze the image of Jendai's face, froze it as the mechanic glanced coolly over his shoulder at the stunned body on the floor. "This, gentlemen," the man at the console said to those behind him. "is the alien menace we're dealing with. As you can see, the Secretary was easily persuaded by this duo to divulge our captives whereabouts." He turned to face them. "All is going as planned."  
There were nods. "Shall we intercept them before they can get in?"  
"No," the first man said, his gray eyes glinting. "Let them think all is going as they plan. Let them feel secure in their plot. Once they reach her..." He folded his hands, watching the image of Jendai's face as if it would spring to life once more. "Capture the tall one. Do what you please with the short one. It is of no consequence to us. The tall one... I have a personal grudge with him." He frowned. "Bring him to me. I'll deal with Jendai Kaalae as I please..."  
"Yes sir."  
They left the room, leaving him to brood over his revenge against the mechanic who had foiled his chance to be believed all those years ago. "Yes, Kaalae," he smirked. "Yes. Come and repay the favor to Merana Sali. I assure you..." One hand patted the gun at his hip. "This time, you will come out of this fight with more than paralyzed limbs." A short, barking laugh. "If all goes well, you will not come out of this fight at all."   
He left then, going to help his fellow agents with their preparations.   
  
Again, major thankies to Shatai for his help in this! Couldn't have done it without him! R&R both of our stuff if ya luv us! Mawhah, aren't I evil? Two cliffhangers in a row? Stay tuned for chapter 7! Oh, and I only own Jendai, Merana... and Frank, as ashamed of him I am. Everyone else is property of their creators! 


	7. Break-in, Human Malevolence and Relief A...

Chapter Seven  
  
Break-in, Human Malevolence and Relief At A Great Price  
  
It was dark. That was the main thing one noticed at first. But then, your eyes adjusted rather quickly, and you were blasted senseless by the asinine cold that filled your body with alarming quickness. Patches of melting snow covered the ground, turning it an unnatural, mottled white-brown color. It was odd for snow to be around so early. Most likely it had been an early frost that had blanketed the mountains, only to be partially swept away by warmth in the lower altitudes from the next few days. Wind came up every now and then, sending more chill to numb bodies and minds. Trees blocked out a good view of almost anything around, including the moon or stars to show a path, shrouding the mountain world in shadow.  
The shadows served their purpose just fine. It was only the cold that bothered them. Both of them knew where they were going, one could see the lights from the facility glimmering though the dense forest even from their great distance. "Damn cold..." Jendai murmured through chattering teeth. "Damn snow... damn humans..." He acted totally unfazed by the whole ordeal with the human. In fact, he almost seemed amused by it. The only thing bothering him now was the cold of the night. After escaping, they'd driven to the "north hill" and parked the van at its foot-concealed in the thick woods. One hour later, the Irkens were trudging up to the place where Merana was. They hoped they hadn't been deceived again. "You okay back there, Invader?" he called over his shoulder, blue eyes widened to allow enough light to see by into them. His robotic legs prevented his booted feet from freezing in the slush that was increasing in powder-like properties as they pressed on. It kept getting deeper.  
"I'll be fine," Zim responded, shivering uncontrollably. Like the mechanic, he'd extended his robotic legs to keep his legs from falling off. His smaller body lost heat faster than Jendai's did. He'd originally thought he could have stood the cold, but now wasn't sure. He reached around, pressing a few buttons that lit up on the side of his pod when his gloved fingers brushed it. The correct sequence was typed in and warmth flooded through his body. Mother of Irk, he loved being an Invader. Invaders got the latest back pod implants that would ensure their survival, and the heat device had been one of them. Since the pods were wired directly into Irken spines, life-supporting necessities, like heating/cooling equipment and nutrition/hydration stores, could be used without the mess of injections. "I'll be fine. We will require weaponry."  
"That's a welcome change of subject," Jendai chuckled lowly, as if there were humans around a corner who could hear his words. He was silent for a while, picking his way through the snow. One of his legs snagged on a bush. The tall Irken almost fell flat on his face, but caught himself before his embarrassment could show. "How many did you bring?" he asked. His arms were wrapped tightly around the places where olive-green skin emerged from his shirt.   
Zim thought for a while as well. The hike was taxing; he had to admit that. "Four," he said finally. "Two for each of us. We can most likely steal spares from any other humans if we need extras."  
"Good thinking," was the quiet reply, muffled by the overpowering snow. "We're screwed over if they know about the water..." There was a soft plop of snow falling from one of the towering trees. "Though, I don't know how they could."  
A long silence followed. After hours of stomping through the cold, wet and potentially deadly snow, the light from what they hoped was their goal swelled to a blinding intensity that left the Irkens squinting. Crouched down in the brush, they took note of the level of security. A few guards patrolled the interior perimeter, semi-automatic rifles strapped to their sides, ready to be of service. Some had dogs by their sides. A high, chain-link fence surrounded the place-complete with barbed wire on its top and probably electrified. Insectoid-like binoculars appeared from Zim's pod, sliding over his eyes to show the Invader a closer view of the facility. "Most of the windows have been reinforced with some metal," he reported dutifully. "The doors, the ones on the outside anyway, all have one or more guards. No infrared alarms that I can see... I just do not like the look of those weapons. They look different than normal." The attachment slid away. "Not as difficult as I had anticipated."  
Jendai shook his head slightly. "Nope. You got any ideas on how to get in?"  
"None."  
"So... we go in without a single plan, with lazers blasting and god knows how many humans inside?"  
"I suppose..."  
"Sounds good to me." He watched the guard disappear around the other side of the building before slowly rising. "Let's go." The mechanic slipped out of the shadows, antennae twitching in all directions. His eyes flicked over the facility before motioning Zim forward. Before he joined the tall one, Zim conducted his own scan of the area, fingering one of his blasters. Slowly, they advanced towards the fence, terribly aware of their visibility. The Invader quickly cut an opening in the fence in the same manner as he had the vent hours ago. It was large enough for him to crawl through, but the process had to be repeated in order for his companion to fit. Once inside the perimeter, they moved with the same, tense lethargy, hoping to whatever forces were on their side that no human would see them. Their antennae swept nervously in perfect circles, twitching frantically when their minds imagined a sound.   
Reaching the shadow of the facility's wall, they paused, uncertain of what to do next. Indecision was abolished as their sensitive hearing picked up the crunch of snow against human boots. Zim glanced up at Jendai nervously. "Can you jump?" the Invader asked, unsure.  
The mechanic gave him a grim look. "How high?" he answered without mirth.   
"Top of the wall?"  
Jendai only nodded, tensing his robotic legs. The attachments to an Irken back pod were created to give their users above-normal abilities, such as faster running, enhanced vision, things like that. Jumping to the top of a human building was well in the vicinity of what they could do. What Invader pods could do anyway. Zim wasn't sure if a Student pod could carry its owner that high. Hopefully, it would be different for one as tall as Jendai was. The Soldier jumped first, his organic legs scrambling for purchase on the slick roofing of the building. He crouched into position, taking deep breaths to slow his racing pulse. Wait. Where was Jendai? A quick scan of the roof proved fruitless. The Student was nowhere to be seen. He stood, jogging over to the edge, feet making deep imprints in the snow-covered rooftop. The sight almost made him fall off. Jendai hung from the roof by the tips of the upper pair of legs, his face set in grim determination and concentration. A hook slid out of the mechanic's pod, reaching up for Zim. He grabbed it and braced with both robotic and organic legs. Slowly, Jendai pulled himself up to crouch on the snowy roof beside the Invader. His chest was heaving. "God..." he said softly. "You Invaders are strong little things!"  
"Yes," Zim agreed. "Should we proceed?"  
"See if we can find a skylight," was the answer. Jendai caught his breath quickly, then started off in a random direction, Zim not far behind him.   
The duo scanned the roof, their breath coming in puffs of white that stood out for a few moments before dispersing in the black of night. Every inch was searched, the robotic legs tapping down through the power, incase the glass might have been hidden from Irken eyes. An hour passed before they found one. It was small, round, and barely big enough to allow Jendai to slip through if they managed to shatter all the glass. Zim was of use once more, cutting a square hole big enough for both of them. The Invader jumped down first. After catching himself with his robotic legs, he looked around hurriedly, hoping their were no humans around. The corridor he'd landed in was empty. Nodding to Jendai, he moved out of the way and pulled out a blaster. Jendai crashed to the floor, landing none too gracefully; probably injuring his Student pride. When he pushed himself up, his face was cut, rose-colored blood dripping slowly down his olive-green face. "Damn, I'm graceful," he muttered, slowly wiping the blood and bit of glass from a cut above his left eye. He looked up and down the corridor, antennae twitching in the silent air. "Where do you think she is?"  
Zim shook his head. "Not sure," he replied. "Can you hear her anywhere?" His own antennae swiveled in response to his question.   
"No." Jendai walked off a few feet, twitched his antennae forward, then returned to Zim's side. "We should find a security office," the mechanic decided. "They'll have cameras we can spy with, not to mention disarm some stuff." He started off, blue eyes flicking across the labels on each door they passed. Unfortunately, they were all a jumble of letters and numbers. Now, they paused outside each, listening for anything that could tell them whether they would find humans, Merana or the security room on the other side.   
More than once, a group of scientists or guards strolled by; forcing the Irkens to duck into the nearest empty room and pray the humans wouldn't enter. Within one of these rooms was a treasure trove of assault rifles. Grinning devilishly, Zim hefted one of the smaller ones, adjusting the strap over his chest to keep the human weapon out of his way until it was needed. Jendai did the same, only taking two, as his height granted him. He narrowed his eyes at the lack of spare ammunition. Humans never planned right. They would just have to use the blasters they'd brought until a tight situation presented itself. Equipped with their new weapons, the duo ducked back into the hall, keeping their antennae twitching for any sign of the Djemy.   
At long last, their hopes were answered. Jendai froze suddenly. His antennae jerked so frantically Zim thought they would probably fall off. He darted over to a door, listening intently to what was happening on the other side. Zim heard it too, soft, beseeching and musical. He couldn't make out what it was saying; yet it made his pulse race nonetheless. "Stay here," Jendai whispered vehemently. "Defend hallway. Don't come in, whatever you do. That's an order. Break down doors for a blockade. I'll throw some stuff out there if I can." He tested the lock before cracking the door open and slipping inside. His eyes adjusted to the blackness, antennae focusing on the tiny point of light about five feet in front of him. The mechanic's Irken senses decided he was in a fairly large room, with one other breathing life form. Of their own accord, his antennae pricked forward, focusing on the softly chanting voice. She didn't know he was here. Only now was he able to hear what she was saying clearly. Only now was he able to distinguish what she had been trying to tell him through the door.   
"Don't come in, 'Dai. They're waiting... Don't come in, 'Dai. They're waiting. They're here... Don't come in, don't come in... They know..."  
Only now it was too late.  
The lights flicked on, showing him a room bare of anything save a couple of tables and two doors, as an alarm started shrieking above him. His gloved hands gripped the sides of his head in pain. He'd been deceived. Now he could see Merana. She lay on a metal table, hands tied tightly to it, her shattered legs stretched out beneath her dirty skirt. Her face was pale, contorted with pain, her amber eyes dull. She stared at him numbly. All her jewelry, save her pendant, was gone. "No..." the Djemy murmured in quiet protest to his appearance. "No..." Before anything else could happen, humans filed quickly into the white, too-clean room, aiming guns at both aliens. "Set your weapons down!" one ordered, his aim unwavering. "Do it or she dies!"  
Defeated, Jendai dropped his rifles and blaster. He couldn't even look at Merana, even as she cried out his name in denial as the humans grabbed him, forcing him down to his knees. His body hung, suspended in their firm grasp. He had no power to keep his knees beneath him now. If he tried, they would only give out, sending him flat on his face. One of them stayed to hold his gun over the Djemy as a threat. A familiar face strode in, grinning insanely. "Hello, Kaalae," Frank purred. "Congratulations. You found Merana Sali."  
"Bastard," Jendai spat. His face contorted into an unconscious snarl. "Son of a bitch."  
The human fired, angered by the curses. The Irken's body recoiled, wrenching itself from the grasp of his captors. Silence descended on the room. A laugh crackled unexpectedly from his throat. "A nice idea human," Jendai smirked, his voice unaltered by pain. The humans were stunned. Each one had seen the shot, witnessed the impact and now watched the sliver-pink blood run from the circular hole in the Irken's leg to the sterile, white floor. "Unfortunately you have much to learn about my condition. Once you so generously shoved your bullet through my spine, you paralyzed me. I suppose you don't know what that means." His even, cool tone mocked the human more than Jendai's curses could. "I'll tell you, seeing as you're so ignorant of my physiology. It means, you stupid bastard, that no matter what you do to any part of my body below the waist... I can't feel it. Not at all." Noticing his sudden freedom, the back pod's legs slid out, ready to propel him forward. The humans dived on him while the one guarding Merana abruptly shoved the gun closer to her head. She stayed quiet.   
Frank approached, narrowing his gray eyes dangerously. "So... You say your legs cannot be harmed, eh?" He came closer, motioning one of the humans away to step behind Jendai. The Irken shuddered at his closeness. "But, what would happen if I were to do something to..." One hand searched below Jendai's back pod. Nauseated by the touch, yet unable to stop it, the mechanic could do no more than hold back his whimpers and try to keep himself from hyperventilating in sheer horror. "oh say, your back?" To illustrate his point, the human shoved his hand roughly against the place where the bullet was lodged. Jendai screamed and went limp. His blue eyes glazed over with pain. The humans dropped him, backing away when they realized the mechanic was in too much agony to be a threat right then. They left their boss to work him over. Frank advanced on Jendai, his fists prepared for his vengeance.   
For his living punching bag, it was Irk all over again. He remembered to keep quiet, not to struggle, to let the blows come and bite his lip against the pain. You couldn't let them have the satisfaction of knowing how badly you wanted to scream, to cry out to make them stop the torture. That only made them beat you worse. The Soldiers would stop soon. They always did. Eventually, they would always get bored with a still target and leave. If you put up a fight, they laughed and either took out their weapons or kept at it until you passed out. No matter how hard he tried, the memories of earlier beatings kept surfacing.   
" 'Dai! Help!"  
"Where are you Kas? What's wrong!"  
"Jendai help me! Please! Des is-ah! Stop it! Stop it! Please!"  
"Kas! I can't find you! Where are you?"  
"Help! No, please! Leave me alone!"  
"I'm coming Kas!"  
Silence.  
"...Kas? Kasden! Where are you!? Kas!"  
Purple eyes swollen, half-closed and filled with pain.   
"Kas... Can you hear me?"  
More silence. Not even the soft sound of breath or the faint thud of a pulse.  
"Kas...? Kas, come on. Wake up."  
Still nothing. Fear, sorrow, denial.  
"St-stop playin K-Kas... C'm-mon. Let's... Let's go play with the books... Please wake up Kas! You're scaring me!"   
No response.  
"Kas..."  
A flicker of movement, of Soldier-red eyes.  
"Des! Get out here! What did Kas ever do to you?!"  
Silence... overwhelming silence as purple eyes slid closed and blue ones filled with hate...  
Damn the memories. Damn them to hell. He closed his eyes, forced his aching body relax, and prayed that Zim was holding his own out in the hall.   
  
From the moment the alarm went off, Zim had his hands fuller than any battle in any war he'd ever fought in. Humans came racing in. The Invader hurriedly ducked into an open doorway and fired his blaster from what cover it provided. After a few moments of fire and return fire, he got the door off its hinges. With this to shield him, Zim ripped into the human ranks with the Irken weapon. Most were down before they could even fire off a shot in his direction. This kept damage to his shield to a minimum.   
Standard Soldier combat style. Keep yourself alive and anyone else around you. Slaughter the enemy without mercy and without prejudice. A Soldier may be unfeeling in battle, but they were not without judgment. Young members of the enemy were left alive, as they could be reeducated to the Irken side. These humans were a threat to Zim and a fellow Irken and therefore had to be executed no matter what.   
Not to mention they were trying to stop his mission.  
The humans kept coming! There seemed to be an endless supply of humans willing to die for their planet. But, humans learned. They learned quickly. After the first dozen died, they took to firing from behind corners to get at him, forcing Zim to peer over the door to shoot. The constant fire from the humans was quickly wearing the door away. An idea formed in his Irken mind. Ducking down behind the door once more, he took the assault rifle from his shoulder and emptied the round into the ceiling. Zim's body was pressed hard against the floor with the force of the weapon's shots. He was unused to such force. Soldiers' weapons were formed perfectly for their body sizes. No matter how powerful they were, the kick never had the power to knock a Soldier down. Tiles and other debris crashed to the floor. Zim slowly climbed to his feet, throwing the now-useless weapon aside. This would serve as a most useful barrier.   
Cautiously, he ducked behind this new barricade. There were several small holes he could fire from and be almost totally protected by. He made use of them efficiently. The humans who had not almost been crushed by the rain of debris did their best to obliterate the new cover, and were felled by easy shots from Zim's blaster. Their armor wasn't suited to the lazer fire.   
The Invader peered through a larger hole, cautious of the projectiles bouncing around his body. He was able to get off a few rapid shots before one of the things managed to hit him. Suppressing a cry, Zim fell back, clutching his shoulder in horror. The thing burned... Burned like... like water! He hid in a recess of the barricade and removed his hand from the wound. A sigh of relief escaped him. The projectile had only grazed the flesh, becoming caught in the torn fabric of his Soldier uniform. He hissed as he pulled it out. The burn had transferred to his fingers, going through the glove to the tender skin beneath it. Frowning, Zim peered closer at the cylindrical object. Several open holes oozed drops of clear liquid like pores. Water...? These human projectiles now were infested with water!? Zim swore, tearing a few strips from his uniform to bind the wound.   
"Hear me now, hUUUman stink!" the little Invader shouted over the crack of guns. "You will not survive this meeting with the INVINCIBLE ZIM!"   
It was then his antennae pricked at the sound of Irken cries. Irken cries that were familiar and stabbed fear into his mind. Jendai's cries. The humans must have captured him! Zim shuddered in horror at the thought of what might be happening to his ally. He desperately wanted to help the mechanic, yet the warning of not to leave the hallway entered his mind. And there were far too many humans to leave his post safely. Zim growled in frustration.   
This was proving more difficult than he'd originally thought.  
There had to be some way to stop the flow of humans long enough to go to Jendai's aid. His large eyes fell on the yellow lights flashing on the side of the blaster. Barely enough to stay alive, he decided. The Irken's gaze now reverted to the ceiling over the place where the humans were coming from, a sharp corner heading off to the left. If he could perform the same maneuver there... Zim decided to risk it.   
He poured all the power the lazer had left into that ceiling, an insane urge to destroy things flooding his reasoning and overpowering it. The tiled, too-clean ceiling caved in, burying any humans and rendering their mode of entrance vanished. As silence descended on the hallway, Zim made his way to the door, choking on the dust that had begun to fill the room. He jumped in his attempt to reach the doorknob. Cursing the humans once more, he backed up, preparing to charge the door.  
  
The blows finally stopped. His right arm was broken, he could tell that from the agony emanating from it. The arm was by far the worst injury. Although he was sure one or two of his ribs suffered the same fate. Other than a few cuts and a large, very tender, bruise on his temple, the rest of his body felt sore, but otherwise fine. Something felt wrong with his leg though... but, due to the paralysis of the limb, he couldn't be sure. His lip was cut and he could taste blood in his mouth.   
Jendai took a few, shallow, shaky breaths, not daring to move. Was this human really finished...? Was the beating truly over? Or was it some twisted joke on his sanity? He clutched the broken arm to his chest as best he could, to protect it. "You've been most fun, Kaalae," Frank gave that sardonic, overconfident smile of one who knows they've beaten their opponent in more ways than the loser could ever dream of. "And so has the little Djemy." He moved to the table, waving away the human holding the gun to Merana's head. The human with the gun walked over to Jendai, guarding him now. A syringe was plucked from a smaller table. "But I'm afraid it's time to stop playing, however enjoyable it was."  
"What are you going to do, now that your thirst for 'fun' has ended?" Jendai hissed, his painful arm not allowing him to speak much louder.   
The human looked as if he were deep in thought, running a stubby finger down the side of his face, grazing the premature beard growing there. In his other hand, the clear fluid in the syringe sloshed as it was tapped against the table with absent gentleness. Jendai's eyes focused intently on it. "Kill you," Frank said finally, staring coolly into the intense blue gaze. "But not you first, Kaalae, you're far too much fun to torment." He watched the stiff antennae prick forward nervously. Those were a part of the alien's anatomy that would be the most fun to study. Perhaps he could even keep them, as souvenirs of the project of course. A slow smirk traversed his face as he saw how hard Jendai Kaalae was struggling to keep a poker face.   
"And by that you mean...?" the alien asked finally, his voice filled with pain.   
"By that I mean," he picked up a lock of the Djemy's silver-blonde hair, running it through his fingers. Again, the struggle not to show emotion, not to attack. God he was enjoying this! "I have seen how much you care for her, Kaalae," Frank said evenly. "I saw how you protected her every time I came to your door. Don't think I didn't notice your face when you touched her." He dropped the hair. "I know how you feel for her. How sweet. An alien bastard loving an alien slut that isn't even his own species." He almost laughed at the anger breaking through the overly calm exterior. "Why do you care for her so? Is it because she stopped you from dying fourteen years ago? Or do you simply love her body?" The green skin darkened to nearly black. "Ah, I can see it isn't. No male, human or otherwise, would react to the truth that way."  
The lips parted in a snarl. "Get to the point human."  
Frank laughed this time, a mirthless sound that filled the room and caused the other humans to smirk. "Such defiance is useless," he snapped, calming. "yet so very classic of you." He held up the syringe. "I will heartily enjoy your reaction to this. My point is, that I will watch your proud face fill with anguish as Merana Sali dies at my hands."  
Jendai struggled into a sitting position, but was unable to rise. His guards kept him down, both with guns to his head and a tight grip on his arms. "Bastard!" the Irken shouted, olive-green skin paling with both fear and rage. "She hasn't done anything!" He fought his captors' holds, only to cry out and fall limp when they gripped his broken arm. "Damn you!" he choked out around the pain. "Damn you..."  
"Wonderful show," Frank chuckled, applauding. "Your performance is exactly as I'd hoped. It is unfortunate that it is unable to sway my decision." He stopped when something heavy crashed against the door, bounced off and rolled away. "What the hell?" was all Frank had time to say before the tiny body launched itself into the hellhole.   
Blaster gripped tightly in his gloved hands, Invader Zim crouched like some green avenging angel, aiming at the nearest human. He was breathing heavily with bloodstains on his otherwise immaculate uniform, a wound seeping the fluid onto the rest of his body, but unharmed in any other way. Crimson eyes were fiery with hate and anger, his antennae flicking between fury and aggression. All activity in the room halted. "Let my allies go free, wormbeasts," he ordered, panting voice holding more power than his stance. He spoke with the exalted tone of one who had been obeyed before, and expected the same treatment once more. No human dared to move. "Now!" Zim shouted, finger tightening over the trigger. The shot rang out as the lazer blast caught one of Jendai's guards full in his chest. He fell, unmoving, to the cold floor. The other three stared in horror. Frank was the first to move. He hurriedly jabbed the needle into Merana's arm, pushing the plunger before Zim could swivel his aim and fire once more. The other humans needed no further persuasion to flee; tearing out of the room as if the devil were behind them. The Invader let them go... then sank to the floor, clutching his shoulder and gasping with fear. His little chest heaved.  
For a long while, nobody moved. The reality of their failure took time to sink in.  
Jendai was the first to get up. His robotic legs moved him weakly forward, as if their master's beating injured them as well. Horror filled him. How could he let this happen...? He slowly approached the table, blue eyes pained with more than physical wounds. Zim stayed silent, respecting Jendai's right to grieve in peace. He watched as one gloved hand slid under Merana's neck, lifting her up a fraction from the steel table. The broken arm's hand draped feebly over her waist. The Invader looked away.   
"Mer..." Jendai whispered hoarsely. "Oh god... oh god, Mer... I'm so-" Tears choked the tall mechanic's throat. "I'm sorry..."  
"Do you remember the last CD I gave you...?" a voice he never thought he'd hear again asked, so quiet even he could barely hear it. "The... 'The Calling'?"  
He looked at the amber eyes, eyes that were barely open. Her breath came sharply and raggedly. "Yeah," he said, trying to keep the Irken tears from hitting her face and chest. "I do. I listen to it still."  
"How does... track eleven go?"  
"Of course I do," Jendai murmured. Softly, to keep her happy, he began to sing, covering the silence with the words.  
"If I give up on you I give up on me  
If we fight what's true, will we ever be  
Even God himself and the faith I knew  
Shouldn't hold me back, shouldn't keep me from you  
  
Tease me, by holding out your hand  
Then leave me, or take me as I am  
And live our lives, stigmatized..."  
He stopped, waiting to see if he should continue. Merana gave a subtle nod. Jendai leaned in closer, the look on his face telling the room he believed every word of what he said.  
  
"I can feel the blood rushing though my veins  
When I hear your voice, driving me insane  
Hour after hour day after day  
Every lonely night that I sit and pray."  
Sensing her time was coming to an end, Jendai skipped the next verse, going straight to the finale of the heartfelt song.  
  
"I believe in you  
Even if no one understands  
I believe in you, and I don't really give a damn  
If we're stigmatized  
We live our lives on different sides  
But we keep together you and I  
We live our lives on different sides  
  
We gotta live our lives  
Gotta live our lives  
We're gonna live our lives..."  
With a last bit of strength, Merana raised her head, her pale and trembling lips touching the Irken's, just barely. He held her up, allowing kiss to deepen. Tears came from both eyes now. They both knew. They finally knew how much the other cared for them, that they hadn't been wrong, not once. They finally knew that they loved each other. When the kiss broke, Merana looked up at him. "I knew it," she whispered almost silently to him. "You..."  
"How could I not?" he stammered around the lump in his throat. "You saved me... I... I always loved you."  
A soft smile covered her face. Then, the amber eyes closed, taking the Djemy away from him.   
Jendai held her for a long time after she left. His shoulders shook. The bitter pain, so obvious in his face, overpowered him. He sobbed hysterically. "Oh god... god no!" he cried, still refusing to let his tears fall on the body. "Mer... it's my fault... Merana!" The Irken buried his face in her hair, cries echoing through the room.  
From his position beside the door, Zim also wept. Never before had he shed tears for another life, not once in his long Soldier career. It was a relief to finally be able to do so. Yet, he never thought such relief would come at such a great price. He sat, his head in hi hands, weeping silently and watching the death of true love. 


	8. Escape, Drive of Hell and Dib

Thought you were done, eh? Well, you're not! Not until you finish this chapter! I would like to thank Invader Zim for the idea and the use of the song "I Am A Rock." Dunno who wrote/sings/owns it, but it sure isn't me. All I own are Merana and Jendai. Not Zimmy, although I'd kinda like to...   
  
  
  
Chapter Eight  
Escape, Drive of Hell and Dib  
  
"We need to get out of here."  
The sudden, insistent sentence snapped Zim out of his daze. It felt like hours had passed since his arrival, but there was no way it could be. They would have been dead by now. He looked up. Jendai was carrying Merana's body, using his one good arm and one of his robotic legs. He'd moved to the back door. Zim stood, collecting the weapons scattered on the floor from the dead humans. He followed the tall Irken's lead, sweeping the targeting sight over the human bodies, in case any decided to wake. They didn't.   
"Hurry up Zim," Jendai ordered, his voice contorted. "We don't have time to make sure Frank is going to stay dead." Wobbling on three legs, he slid out into a hallway identical to the one the Invader had fought in, albeit this one was dark. The Irken eyes easily led their owners through the dimness. All around was the sound of clicks from their legs, human footsteps and Jendai's pained breaths. Zim stayed in front, watching out for any enemy. "You know where we are?" he asked his companion.   
Jendai shook his head marginally. "No," he hissed. "Just keep looking for a way out..." He stumbled and caught himself, although this save was far less graceful than his other had been out in the forest. Zim doubled back in case his living ally needed aid. He hadn't noticed how severe his beating had been. "Who shot you?" Zim asked, indicating the circular wound.  
"Not important," Jendai slurred, wobbling slightly. "Frank pissed."  
"If the projectile is still inside your leg," Zim continued, not missing a beat. "we need to get it out." He gestured to his shoulder. "They have found a way to put water in them, as I found out in battle." Stopping Jendai's forward progress, he examined the injury closer. The round hole still oozed blood, but a faint, charred scent came from within. "We need to get it out soon, or you might lose your..." He trailed off, remembering.   
A growl. "Leave it." And Jendai started forward once more. Merana's head rolled slack on her neck, a sight Zim shuddered at. He missed her. Missed a lot about the Djemy. Her voice, her laugh, her strange eyes. He knew Jendai missed her a great deal more, even more so now that he knew about her feelings towards him. Zim couldn't imagine how much it hurt; to lose something, or someone, you cared about so deeply. He'd never had anything he cared about before. And probably never would either.   
Jendai shoved a door open with a shoulder, sending a blast of arctic chill into the hallway. A few bits of white powder blew in. The stuff missed the Irkens by an antenna's breadth. He leaned against the sharp wind, clothing whipping. "How do we know there's no one out there?" questioned Zim, ducking through an opening to get in front of the tall mechanic. "It could be an ambush."  
"Going to take that chance," was all the answer he got. "Have to get her out of here."   
He was talking about her like she was still alive.   
The realization startled him. Denial. That's what it had to be. Sighing, Zim trudged out first, elevating himself above the snow once more. Any contact with the frozen water would be painful; the paste had worn off long ago. He heard the subtle crunch of seven legs in the light snow. A shiver flowed through him. This was dangerous. His head whipped around, the targeting sight from the two lazers he now carried swept the frozen landscape for any sign of life. Mentally, he berated himself for forgetting about the spares. One of Jendai's assault rifles was strapped to his back for use in tight situations. The little Invader looked every inch the competent Soldier he had been trained to be back on Irk. "Come on, monkeys," he whispered to himself. "Come to Zim and face the wrath of the Irken Elite."  
They paced a few yards away from the building, keeping alert. So far, nothing. Zim was tense. The humans were planning something. He knew it. They always kept you in suspense until you were within sight of your goal, then, attacked and slaughtered you. Zim would not let them win. Not again. The moon glittered down, coating everything in a sheen of silver-white. Briefly, both Irkens glanced up at the stars. Each pair of eyes located Irk's sun, and turned away, one thinking of the glory he'd receive once he completed his mission, the other remembering the horrors of his life there. One reacted with a shiver of pleasure, the other a shudder of revulsion. Even in his moment of relaxation, Zim refused to let his guard down. The slight crunch of a far-off foot against the snow caught his attention. Swinging the blasters around, the targeting sight picked up on life-forms, many of them, standing at intervals around the perimeter fence. "Jendai!" Zim hissed. "They have sentries posted! Around the fence."  
No change of face. "Can you take them out from here?" he asked, choking slightly on the words.   
Zim turned to him, noticing the small spots of sliver-pink staining the snow. "Most likely. I need a few moments." He turned back to the fence, peering through the scopes at the targets. A few rounds later, most of the sentries nearest them were downed. "Gone," the Invader declared, switching off one of his blasters. Jendai nodded, pushing ahead of Zim, intent on his task of getting Merana's body out of this place.  
Afterwards, Zim was never quite sure of what happened. It would come to him in little bits, pieces, sometimes, but never in the whole sequence of events. From what he could recall, Jendai walked ahead of him a few paces, staggering now under the load he carried. There was a muffled blast from someplace off to the right, far to the right. Zim hadn't thought to look that far into that direction. He was only aware of what happened when Jendai suddenly cried out, falling into the snow with a low moan. The Invader spun around locking in the target and taking it out with easy precision. He cleared any more sentries down that way, and to the left as well. He wanted to take no chances.  
It was only after he was assured of their temporary safety that he went to Jendai's side. The tall Irken lay on his back in the cold snow, eyes shut tightly, Merana's body lying across his chest. On his right side, a large bloodstain showed horrifically against the whiteness. Gritting his teeth, Zim pushed Merana off Jendai, his need to examine the damage to his ally overpowering his respect for the dead. He'd been shot again. This time in his right side, a few inches above the waist. To Zim's surprise, Jendai wasn't wearing his back brace, which had probably been the reason the humans were able to attack him and why the projectile had not merely been deflected. The projectile had penetrated deep. He was unable to determine whether any organs were harmed or whether it was simply embedded in the flesh. Zim hoped it was the latter.   
Gently, he shook Jendai, attempting to wake him. No response. The mechanic's breathing was raspy in his throat, barely visible in his chest rising and falling. He could hardly hear Jendai's pulse. He had to get him away from this place! There was no telling when more humans would arrive. Not to mention the snow. Zim had to bind the wound somehow. Already, an unhealthy amount of Irken blood colored the snow. Working with the tear from the shot, he ripped off the hem of Jendai's shirt for a bandage, exposing more olive-green skin to the freezing air. Carefully, he wrapped up the injured area, tying it tightly enough to try and stop the bleeding, yet loosely enough to come off once they reached safety. Now he had to get Jendai awake.   
Shaking didn't work, pleading never worked anyway... maybe snow. Zim scooped up a handful of snow, trying to ignore the burning sensation in his palm. Quickly, he shoved it against Jendai's face, hoping the burn would wake him. There was a subtle hiss in the air, but no response. Afraid now, Zim fought to keep himself from panicking, which would only have made the situation far worse. He knew he could have just fled, leaving Jendai alone to probably die and suffer the same fate Dib insisted he would inflict on Zim. In fact, a few months ago, he probably would have done just that. That little voice in his head, the one that had instructed each of his Soldier missions before, arose once more to order him around. "Who would know?" it hissed. "He's a banished Irken. Everyone expected him to die anyway. They wanted him to die. Let him suffer the fate he was intended to."   
It took more willpower than Zim had expected to push it away and rise back up on his robotic legs to keep watch until his ally decided he would wake. It was a long vigil. More sentries appeared, only to be taken out once more. He wasn't surprised they didn't try another full-on attack. Every so often, he returned to the unconscious Irken to check the wound and try to wake him once more. Jendai remained in the same state. The moon fell lower in a sky that was beginning to lighten in the east. He frowned and hoped the blue eyes would flutter open soon.   
  
He wasn't alone in the darkness. That was a shock. Apparently, things hadn't changed so much since he was young.   
"Kas?"  
The purple eyes locked on him.  
"What happened to you Dai?"  
"Got shot."  
"Oh."  
They were silent for a long time.  
"Never expected to see you again, Jendai."  
"You either."  
"Missed you."  
"Same here."  
More silence. They weren't sure what was going on.  
"Are we dead, Kas?"  
"Don't know. Listen Jendai..."  
The blackness surrounding them wavered. He never heard Kas's words. It was time for him to wake...   
  
Zim shivered. The cold was getting to him. They were running out of time. If the sun rose before they could make it into the woods, they'd be found for certain. He chewed his lip. He'd try the snow once more. It just might work this time.   
As the frozen water was pressed against Jendai's skin, the Invader heard a change in his breath. "Kas...? No... Zim...?"  
His antennae pricked as the sweet feeling of victory swelled in his chest. "Right here," he said crisply, appearing in the blue-eye's range of vision. "Are you well enough to move? We need to get away before the sun rises."   
"I'll be fine," the hoarse voice declared, although the way his eyes crossed when he struggled into a sitting position proved his lie. He winced, moaning quietly. For a long few minutes, he sat still fighting off dizziness and collecting his thoughts. "How far away is the fence?" he slurred. When Zim didn't answer, he somehow got up on his robotic legs and collected Merana's body. The strain of staying upright against the pain was etched into his face.   
Zim darted ahead to clear their path. "Not much farther," he assured. "And once we get into the woods, it's downhill so it will be easier for us." Jendai barely nodded, just followed the little Invader's lead. At the fence, there failed to be the gap Zim had cut earlier, forcing him to cut a new one. He made it tall enough so that Jendai would not have to duck, harming himself possibly further. Now came the most difficult part. The darkness of the thick woods made it almost impossible to see anything. Both Irkens were constantly tripping over things. Not to mention the cold. The blasting, relentless cold in the air. Every few minutes, Zim looked behind him to reassure himself that his ally was still following him safely. "Not much further," he would always say to the gasping breath behind him. Jendai would never reply. Once, he fell, crying out in agony. It seemed like hours before he rose again. Now, his breath was much more labored in the dark, coming in short wheezes. Zim found himself massaging his aching shoulder in sympathy.   
A thought struck. What was to stop them from heading in the wrong direction? And why hadn't he thought of this before? The communicator emerged from his back pod, sliding into his hand. "GIR!" he called.   
There was static. "Yyyyyyess?" the robot answered finally.   
"We're coming back to the van-"  
"YAY!"  
"-turn on the headlights so we can see our way back!" Zim finished.  
"...How?"  
"Button with a picture of a lightbulb on it..." Jendai murmured for the first time. Zim could hear his harsh breaths. He frowned before relaying the message to GIR. Faintly, both could see the dim sheen of headlights off to their left. Altering their course and increasing their pace brought them to the van before GIR could discover how much fun the lights where when turned off and on.   
The Irkens collapsed inside, relieved to finally be somewhat out of danger. Jendai gently lay his burden on the roll-out mattress in the back and covered her with a tarp before almost fainting in the passenger seat. "Hi Master!" GIR squealed, bouncing into Zim's face. Its overwhelming joy was hard for the Invader to take at the moment. He pushed it aside, ordering it to play with the Rubix cube some more. "But Master," it complained, holding up the cube. "I finished it..."  
"So do it again!" Zim snapped. He sighed as GIR's eyes welled up with tears and its antenna drooped. "You can do it outside where it's more fun. You can play in the snow once you've finished it a second time." There was a job he had to do without GIR's presence. At the mention of the white powder, GIR bounced outside, proceeding to make snow angels or just roll around in the stuff. Zim locked the doors behind it. "Okay," he said, dusting off his hands. "Let's see if we can repair you somewhat."  
"My arm," Jendai hissed, twitching his right shoulder to correspond with his statement. Obediently, the Invader came over for an inspection. Every Soldier had some degree of medical training for use in times when help could not be found after a battle, whether or not they remembered it was the thing. Zim had always wanted to be the best, despite his size, and thus had remembered more than his taller peers. He prided himself on that. The mechanic's powerful arm had, from what he could tell, been snapped in two pieces, the easiest form of a break. "We'll leave this for last," he told his patient, then moved on to the side wound. Zim tried to be careful when he removed the bandage, but Jendai cursed softly and let out a low hiss of pain. "Sorry," he muttered. While the injury hadn't gotten obviously worse, there was no way it was better either. The bleeding began again once Zim pried away the shirt holding it back. Again, the same charred scent as from the leg. "Be right back," Zim said and headed into the back of the van. A few minutes later, he returned, thoughts making war on each other in his mind.   
There were no medical units in the van.   
Not a single one. He didn't have any, and had thought not to bring one. There was no way to repair the damage to Jendai's body in the time frame they had without one. Zim looked hopelessly at the other Irken from his position on the passenger side door's armrest. The blue eyes watched him, hazy and barely focused on anything. His breath still came in those awful gasps that sounded too shallow, too sharp, to be of any use. Beneath the ragged shirt, the scarred and muscular chest barely moved. It was a tragic sight. The little Invader remembered his first meeting with the tall mechanic. The two Jendais, this broken, beaten thing struggling to breathe, and the proud, powerful Irken who had always been a mystery, were so utterly different that it was hard for Zim to believe they were the same Irken. Wait. Why was he sitting reflecting as if his only ally was going to die? Invaders never gave up! Even if the outcome looked bleak!   
He set his jaw. "Okay, Jendai, listen to me. Both projectiles need to come out. They're leaking earth water and will eventually kill you." Zim sighed. "What I am about to do will hurt, possibly more than how much you hurt now, but it must be done." There was no audible response. Zim dropped down to the floor, so that the wound was level with his chest, and swallowed heavily. One of his robotic legs slid out from his pod to be grasped in a gloved hand. Slowly, precisely, he cut into the skin around the wound, penetrating down deeper as he went. There was a muffled cry of pain. Zim concentrated harder. He had to get the projectiles out. He couldn't worry about the possibility of infection now, although with what he was doing, it was high. Now, he had his hand in the hole he'd made, carefully searching for the smooth, cylindrical object. He tried to ignore the sounds Jendai tried to stifle by biting his lip. Every so often, one of his cries escaped and became a scream that nothing could cover. They were mere distractions. Zim had to keep concentration so as not to damage any organs. One fingertip brushed something solid, solid and cool, not warm like the rest of the flesh and tissue. The familiar sting of water told him everything he needed to know and a slightly deeper plunge allowed him to actually grasp it, pulling it out. Hissing, Zim threw it to the floor, clutching his bloody hand. With that accomplished, he turned back to the wound. Thanks to his small size, it hadn't gotten much larger. He just had to find a way to close it...   
Another search of the van struck gold. Thread and a slim needle. Irkens hadn't used this technique in centuries, yet it was still taught to medical teams, and thus to Invaders as a course of action to save their life in an emergency. He didn't know if it would stop the bleeding, he hadn't used it before, yet he had to try something. Even if the wound became infected, they weren't more than a few days from the base. Once there, the superb medical programming of Zim's master computer could take over, correct any mistakes the Invader had made. He threaded the needle with some difficulty and then turned his attention to getting the wound closed. Jendai made a few noises with the pain before subsiding into an unconscious silence. His face had turned a very pale shade of green. After knotting the end several times, Zim began the process of retrieving the projectile and closing the wound with the leg. This went much faster. Next came Jendai's arm. Once again, Zim searched the back of the van and came up with two bottles of ketchup. Not exactly ideal, but desperate times called for these odd measures. He lay one bottle on each side of the break, tying them together with all the thread he had left. It was the best splint he could come up with. Lastly, he redid the bandage on his own wound, using more strips from his uniform.  
"GIR!" he shouted out the window. "Get in here! We're leaving!"  
From far off in the distance there was the sound of rocket jets. In moments GIR had returned to the interior of the van. "Hi Big Master!" it grinned at Jendai. When it received no response, it bounded over to Zim. "Big Master won't talk to me... why?"  
Zim frowned, trying to figure out how to start the van. He'd folded down the driver seat to ensure that he could see out the front window and would use his robotic legs once again to work the little pedals. "He's sick, GIR," he said simply. "Very sick. He's asleep so he will heal."  
"I understand..."  
One good thing about GIR was that it didn't ask questions. Too many at least. Zim finally located the device that started the van, a small, metal key inserted into a slot behind the wheel. He turned it smoothly. The van roared to life, headlights glaring into the dark like two overly bright eyes. Zim carefully edged it forward, mind and eyes alert for trees. Many long minutes finally got him back onto the road. He knew the way from here.   
GIR suddenly bounded forward, deciding the van needed some music to lighten the tense mood. Zim allowed this for a few moments. Then his face contorted in anger at the song that played.  
"I've been lost  
In a fortress deep and wide  
That none may penetrate  
I have no need for friendship, friendship causes pain  
It's laughter and it's loving I disdain  
I am a rock, I am a island..."  
  
"Turn that off at once GIR!" he shouted. "It's distracting me!" But GIR was too busy dancing to listen to its master.   
  
"I have my books  
And my poetry to protect me  
I am shielded in my armor  
Hiding in my room, safe within my womb  
I touch no one and no one touches me  
I am a rock, I am an island..."  
  
Zim glared at the radio. This song was bringing that voice back. That was one thing he didn't need right now.  
  
"And a rock feels no pain  
And an island never cries."  
  
"That's not true!" the Invader snapped, narrowing his eyes. "We feel pain! We cry! Silence you stupid wormstink! You speak lies!" He gritted his teeth in anger. "LIES!" Amazingly, GIR turned the radio off, seeing its master's rage. Zim drummed his gloved fingers against the steering wheel, trying to drown out that voice in his head. He would NOT leave Jendai behind. He refused to abandon an ally. It defied a great deal of his Soldier training but, who would ever know? Did that matter here? He was on a mission, a mission far away from anyone who could ever find out. As long as he completed his mission, his actions during it did not need to ever be found out. No one would know that he, Zim, a Soldier hardened by battle and Impending Doom I, had broken the barrier of one of the biggest things that separated Soldiers from Students.   
There really wasn't an adequate way to describe it. His eye twitched. What had he become now? Of course, he was still Invader Zim, still an Irken, still bent on the destruction of Dib and the rest of the planet. But there was something new, something no Soldier should know. Was it camaraderie? Mother of Irk, it was too confusing to think about right now. Tightening his grip on the wheel, he drove off into the night.  
  
What followed that moment was what Zim later christened, "The Drive Of Hell." GIR's high voice was thankfully quiet most of the way, but this made way for a horrible word to make itself known to the conscious occupants of the van. Zim had heard it many times in battles, once he'd heard his own being spoken, and had hoped never to hear it again. Accompanied by a sudden crackle of energy, it was a very feared thing in the Irken world, as it usually foretold death.  
"Reactivate."  
Again and again the word and the sizzle of life-giving, blue energy was heard in the van. It wasn't from his pod. Each time, Zim glanced over at his half-dead Irken passenger. He remained the same, if not paler with every fleeting look. Zim was unsure how frequently this occurred, but it eventually got so bad that he pulled the van over to inspect the wounds. The edges were swollen, and had turned a bright, angry red. Zim winced. Great, just what he needed. Infection. Superstitiously, he checked his shoulder, pronounced it clean, then re-bandaged it. There was nothing he could do about the other Irken's wounds except for get back to the base alive.   
Thankfully, there was little traffic once again. Invaders always knew where they were going; ensuring that directions were one thing Zim didn't have to worry about. He remembered the way from the previous trip.  
The lack of other cars and the fact he needed no directions were the only things that were in Zim's favor. He was exhausted. He'd had no sleep for days. Normally, this wouldn't have had the same effect, but battle, tension, grief, pain and fear took a heavy toll on one. Occasionally, he found himself nodding off, brought back only by GIR singing the Doom Song or the Scary Monkey theme. It got so bad he ordered GIR to keep it up, a task that the robot fell on with more joy than usual. That worked on his fatigue, but did little for the other problems plaguing him.  
He barely knew how to drive this human vehicle. At times he could barely stay on the road, swerving terribly to avoid the other traffic. The act of keeping an even pace was taxing on his already tired brain. Finally, he retracted one leg and used only one to both brake and accelerate. He wove all over the road, angering the various human drivers around him.   
To make matters worse, Jendai began to "wake" for small periods. He would talk about, or even to, various Irkens Zim had read about, like his love, Leeri or his old teacher, Daske. One name he called most frequently was, "Kasden" or simply "Kas." It was unnerving to hear the hoarse voice slur such familiar words. Sometimes he would just mumble indiscernible things before twitching slightly and sinking back into unconsciousness. These incidents scared Zim. While he spoke to the invisible Irkens, Jendai's antennae would prick forward, as if he were listening to a reply. To Zim, someone who was blacked out should stay silent until waking. It had to be an effect of the infection that had taken hold on his body. As was his shivering and sweating. Zim knew from experience that the mechanic couldn't last many more days.  
To add to his list of troubles, he was only a day from the base when an infection of his shoulder began to set in. It stung, and after inspection, was turning the same painful red color as both Jendai's were. Although not as bad, Zim was slowly beginning to feel the effects of it. His head was spinning. Every so often, he felt like he was about to throw up. Valiantly, the Invader fought it off. He'd made a promise to himself not to let the humans win once more. Soldiers kept their promises, whether they were good or bad. He owed this Irken a lot; Jendai had saved his life, it was his turn to repay the debt.  
His relief in seeing the familiar lights of the street where his base sat was voiced in a single, heaving sigh. Recently, his vision had begun doubling, his head spinning until he could barely see anything. The fever had begun as well, burning his little body with all its might. Jendai had been silent for the past day. His face was gray and you could hardly hear him breathe. Zim slowly pulled up alongside his base, filled with the knowledge that he had prevailed over all. After killing the engine, he chewed his lip for a moment, trying to figure out a way to get everyone inside safely. Jendai was too heavy for him to lift... but perhaps if he dragged him on the tarp...  
"GIR!" he called. "Bring me the tarp!" He was hesitant to do this. Once you were dead, your body tended to decay and the tarp was probably the only thing keeping the smell from reaching the rest of the van. But when his SIR brought the blue plastic sheet to him, there was nothing. Puzzled, Zim looked back at the body of the Djemy. It was in perfect condition, looking exactly as it had the moment she'd died. He blinked, then passed it off as another mystery of the now-extinct Djemy race. "Good work, GIR. Now, go inside and watch television."  
The robot squealed with delight, bouncing off to enjoy its shows while Zim struggled to bring both himself and his ally inside. He exited through the passenger side, spreading the tarp on the cement walkway. Now he had to figure out how to get Jendai out of the van. "Long time no see, Zim," the least welcome voice in the universe hissed from around the other side of the vehicle. "Where were you?"  
"Come any closer Dib-monkey and I will destroy you," Zim retorted. "Why are you here?"  
There was silence for a moment as the human peered around the front of the van. "You get called out of class suddenly and disappear for a week. Of course, I thought you were planning something. And it's five at night, where else would I be?"  
"That's correct, you watch me obsessively, I forgot," he snapped mirthlessly. He narrowed his eyes threateningly. The blaster was still safely inside his boot. "Get out of here! I have work to do."  
Dib dared approach the Invader. "No disguise. Pretty vulnerable, eh Zim? Letting your guard down. This is almost too eas-" The stupid human eyes blinked. "What happened to you?"  
The Invader took an involuntary step back. "Nothing, pitiful worm, simply battle scars. Now leave!" he ordered, taking an aggressive stance. "Or I will call the gnomes on you!" His threat made Dib back up a few paces, glancing nervously around him at the said gnomes. Seeing the enemy retreat, Zim relaxed slightly, wiping the sweat from his feverish face with his good hand. His shoulder's pain had suddenly moved down the length of his arm as well. "Leave, stinkmonkey," Zim snapped again when he noticed his nemesis's hesitation. Dib didn't move, just leaned against the side of the van, arms folded over his chest.   
"What's gonna make me?" the human said calmly. "I'm outside your gnomes' perimeter."  
Zim growled. "If you're going to stand there, move!" He walked proudly towards the open door of the van's passenger side. It was incredible Dib hadn't noticed its occupant. "I said I have work to do, and I do!" Now he stood no more than six inches from Dib's ugly self. "Get out of my way, huuuuuman." Surprisingly, Dib moved.   
Now began the process of getting one tall, unconscious Irken mechanic out of his seat and onto the tarp. Zim knew Dib would see. He didn't care. One quick glance at close range had shown no camera, or other photo-taking device. Both of them were safe. Climbing back into the van, Zim pulled the seat's armrest up to allow Jendai to slide out once he was ready for that part. He pretended he didn't hear Dib's exclamation of shock at what was inside the white van. "It's... it's..." the human stuttered.  
"Shut your noise tube, Dib!" Zim barked, turning his head to face the human. "This is a mechanic who was injured the same place I was. I am taking him into my base for treatment. There is nothing you can do to stop me. And don't even try." His voice took on a hissing note. "It is not vital to my mission of doom that he survives, as he has no part in it whatsoever, but I do owe him a great deal for saving my life after your pathetic attempt to destroy me." He started pulling on Jendai, trying to get him onto the tarp.   
"So... he's not trying to help you take over Earth," Dib began, pondering all this aloud. "He's just here... why?"  
Zim was having problems. Why were tall Irkens so heavy? "None of your business, earth worm!" He tried pushing.  
"He has no part in your plans at all? He's an innocent in all this?"  
"Have you the brain worms?" Zim snarled, finally looking up from his task. "Of course he's an innocent! He's a mechanic who was shot! Now leave me alone so I may get him out of this van alive!" To Zim's complete surprise, his enemy climbed up in the van and began pulling on Jendai's other side. "Get out of here! Don't touch him with your filthy human hands!" the Invader shouted. "What are you doing, Dib-human!?"  
The human shot him a look as if what he was doing should be obvious. "It's called helping, Zim," he said flatly. "I don't like it that I'm doing it for one of your miserable kind, but..." Dib got a torn look on his face that almost made Zim laugh in how pathetic it was. "if I don't do anything, then an innocent... something dies. And then I'd be just as bad as you, Zim."  
"If you are going to aid me in this then stay silent."   
"Whatever. Okay, when we get back to skool, none of this happened. I still try and expose you, you still... do whatever you always do."  
Zim narrowed his eyes once again. "Agreed, earth stink."  
The two enemies managed to get Jendai down from the van and onto the tarp without much difficulty. Once there, Zim took the side facing his doorway and Dib the side closest to the van. They lifted in unison and after much arguing, managed to get the Irken safely inside.   
"Remember that this never happened, filthy worm," Zim called to the hastily retreating Dib. "And I may go easier on you when skool returns. Oh, and close the van door."  
"Yeah right," the human retorted, slamming the door. "You'll forget this whole thing in a few hours." He left, trenchcoat waving behind him in the dim glow of twilight.   
The base had never felt so much like home in the sense that Zim had never been so glad to see one place before. He sent Jendai down to the lab's medical bay for treatment, eventually following. The various mechanical things got to work repairing the damage, regenerating tissue and bone and curing his infection. Zim watched them for a few minutes, feeling weak all of the sudden. "Computer," he breathed. "There is a white human van outside the perimeter with a body inside. Bring the body to the lab and put it in stasis." There was a beeped comply. "Register mechanic Jendai Kaalae into security system. He is same importance level as Zim." Another beep. "And prepare a second medical table for Invader Zim." It appeared before him. Zim slowly climbed on, laying back as the various instruments got to work on his shoulder. They didn't hurt.   
Zim relaxed for the first time in a long while, feeling less weak and more drowsy than anything. Once Jendai was fully recovered he would ask the tall one to stay at the base. He doubted the mechanic would want to continue living in the place where he'd stayed so long with Merana Sali. Too many possible memories, too much possible pain there. And once that matter was settled, he would show Jendai what he'd done with Merana's body and let him do what he wished with it. Then there was the mission to get back to. It had been disturbed for so long, and now he could finally return to it. If Jendai agreed to stay, the mission would go much smoother with the knowledge of someone who had lived with humans as long as the mechanic had. He could finally complete the mission and be a true Invader! Once he got back on track of course.  
But somehow, the thought of returning to the mission had a much more hollow feel to it than Invader Zim had thought it would. With a sigh, he relaxed fully, and slipped into a sleep filled with dreams of glory.  
  
END  
  
To Be Continued in the next installment of the Kaalae Name Trilogy...  
AFTERMATH  
Summary:  
The death of Merana has devastated Jendai Kaalae. Old demons from his past return to haunt him as now he has no way to escape them through his beloved. After a lengthy mental debate, the Student sees only one way out of this torment... can anything Zim do stop him from using the ultimate solution? 


End file.
